Broken Glass
by Nightfall Warrior
Summary: She fought her way out of the shadows and into the light.. When the enemy emerges once more, is she strong enough to endure the pain or will she shatter?.. Fem!Merlin/Arthur.. (Creed of Heart Series II)..
1. Prologue: The Kinslayer

**Title: **Broken Glass (Creed of Heart Series II)..**  
Rating: **T..**  
Summary: **She fought her way out of the shadows and into the light.. When the enemy emerges once more, is she strong enough to endure the pain or will she shatter?.. Fem!Merlin/Arthur..**  
Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my ideas and the original characters..

_A/N - So I've written a fair few chapters which should keep you going for a while, and I decided I would start it off now.. **Updates are going to be once a week on Saturdays**.. Hopefully I should get it all written and finished fairly soon.. My storyline/chapter outlines have changed dramatically because I found I was overestimated how little could be in a single chapter and found I couldn't write so much description for a small section which would make the chapters boring and not move the story along etc.. So there are some changes still going on, but we good for a while :).. Enjoy x_

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**Broken Glass**

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Prologue – The Kinslayer

_His silent steps allowed him to move through the dark forest undetected by any of the creatures that roamed. He'd been travelling for days, avoiding patrols as he headed towards the forest of Ascetir. Coming within the borders of Camelot was risky, but for what he was about to do, it was worth it._

_Crouching down in the bushes, he saw his mark. A beautiful white unicorn lay down in a small meadow within the confines of the forest. His dagger in his hand, he slowly made his way towards it. He froze when a twig snapped under his foot, the unicorn's head snapping up, looking in his direction. After a few seconds, the unicorn's head dropped once more. Another step and he would be in position._

_He removed everything from his mind, focusing solely on his target. Raised the dagger, he threw it. The unicorn fell. Animals fled, squawking as they hurried away from the scene. His smirk grew, stepping towards the fallen creature. Taking out his sword, he cut off the horn. Putting it in his pocket, he stepped back admiring his work._

_He stepped back into the tree line, disappearing from sight._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana woke up, a tear running down her face. The dreams had been coming more regular. Since she began to use magic more and more, the dreams had taken on a life of their own. Her eyes welled at the memory of the fallen unicorn. The thing that worried her this dream was that this was the first time she had seen him in her nightmares. Mordred.

Since her father had been killed, she had dreamt of everyone she loved being taken away from her, being held hostage and her unable to save them. Gaius had said it was just a reaction to recent events, but she was wary. This one felt different that the others. Sighing, she stared up at the ceiling. She needed to get some rest. She would have to tell Merlyn in the morning.

-x-x-x-x-x-

A force woke her from her slumber. She stared across the room towards the windows that were in her view from where she lay on her side as she tried to figure out what it was that woke her from her slumber. She looked back over her shoulder to see Arthur snoring softly, his arm draped over her side, spooning her from behind. Nothing was off in the room otherwise he would have awoken as well which meant that it was connected to her magic. Something had happened, and it was nothing good.

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**And we are off.. Review and let me know what you think! x**


	2. Chapter 1: Sleeping Sun

_A/N - Thanks to everyone whose reviewed, followed and favourited :).. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!.. _

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**Chapter 1 – Sleeping Sun**

Sun beamed over the city of Camelot. The markets were being prepared for a profitable day as stalls were being set out in the town, goods being placed on tables and deliveries being delivered and sent. The guards were changing on their posts, allowing for the guards on the night shift to get some rest before they returned to duty that next night as the castle staff made their preparations for the new day.

The Knights emerged from their homes, shuffling their way to the practice fields for their usual training session. They wiped sleep from their eyes as they waited for their Commander to arrive. Merlyn sat on the top of a fence that surrounded the area while Lance leant back against it. Some of the knights began to talk to one another while others started to stretch before the upcoming workout.

"How is it that you get out here much earlier than he does?" Lance questioned, both his elbows taking his body weight as it pressed against the fence. His question brought Merlyn out of her thoughts as she turned to look at him.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Merlyn denied. She knew what he was getting at, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction to know that he was right. "He probably overslept."

"And you couldn't have given him a nudge before you snuck out?" He smirked, to which Merlyn rolled her eyes. It was true that there were a few nights that she stayed with Arthur. Despite how the two of them acted around each other, very few people knew the true relationship between the two of them.

They were exactly the same as they had always been in public, and anyone who had seen the slightly longer gazes or the subtle touches had just put it down to their status as best friends. Merlyn herself quickly put any knights who used to think that she was an easy target, received special treatment because she was a girl in their place. She still refused to let Arthur defend her despite their change in relationship.

The Warriors all knew of the relationship between the two, as did Gaius, Morgana and Gwen, but everyone else was oblivious. The Warriors sometimes liked to tease them about it, but it was all done in good humor. They would usually receive a punch to the shoulder from Merlyn or a stern glare from Arthur.

Lance's teasing was interrupted when Arthur made his appearance, with Leon by his side. The Knights all began to get to their feet or push themselves up from whatever they were leaning against. "Morning men." Arthur greeted them before looking over to Merlyn. ".. and Merlyn." She rolled her eyes as he smirked before hopping down from the fence, picking up the two swords that were sticking up in the ground where she had left them before leaning back against the fence. "Alright, I want everyone to pair up. We are going to have a short sparring session with weapons of your choice before target practice with bows." The Knights grumbled before they all paired off with one another and headed further out into the grounds.

Arthur walked over to her when she hadn't moved from the fence. "Is everything okay?" He asked her concerned. She seemed to be off in space for a while before he brought back to reality. He looked over to make sure that no one could hear them knowing that Merlyn didn't want people knowing about the two of them, even if he wanted to shout it from the rooftop. He respected her decision though he thought her worries were unfounded. She didn't want people to treat her differently and after spending so much time building her reputation, she didn't want it destroyed by the fact that she was with the King. "You weren't there when I woke up this morning."

"Yeah, I just didn't sleep well, that's all. I didn't want to disturb you." She admitted. She looked up into his clear blue eyes that showed concern, trying to determine if she was telling him the whole truth.

"You sure that's all it is?" He questioned, knowing if there were something troubling her she probably wouldn't tell him about it unless it was really important. He wanted to protect her, or at least share the burden. She nodded, offering him a smile before pushing herself off the fence.

"Come on." She headed over to where the Knights were now all exchanging blows with one another. He watched her walk away for a moment then following her, before they began their well practiced dance.

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Morgana searched through the castle looking for Merlyn. She had already been to Arthur's room, Gaius' quarters and even down to the library, but couldn't find her anywhere. She knew that she had training early this morning, but that would have been over for a while. She needed to tell her of her dream last night before it drove her completely crazy.

She eventually spotted her as she stepped down the stairs leading into the courtyard. Merlyn was stood in the center of the courtyard speaking with Lance and Leon. She was listening carefully to something that Leon was telling her before she looked back towards the gates and nodded. Morgana headed over, attempting to pull Merlyn away from them.

"Merlyn? Can I talk to you?" She asked, glancing at both Lance and Leon as they glanced at her questioningly. Her voice was higher pitched than normal, her tell-tell sign that something was bothering her.

Merlyn looked at the two Knights beside her. "Anything else?" She asked. They shook their heads before she followed Morgana back inside the castle, leaving the men alone who just watch on as they disappeared from sight.

They continued to walk in silence, until they came to the great hall, knowing that they had complete privacy. Merlyn's fears were confirmed if Morgana had chased her down. "They are back aren't they?" Merlyn began. "The dreams?" Morgana nodded sadly, sighing. "Last night's one was different." Morgana looked up in surprise at the other woman. "I was woken up by a magic force." Merlyn explained. "Something's happened."

"Mordred." Morgana whispered. "It was Mordred. He killed a unicorn. That's what I saw." She explained. "It was like I was watching it all go down. He crept through the undergrowth before killing it. The Unicorn stood no chance, and then he hacked off the poor creature's horn."

Merlyn sat in one of the chairs that was surrounding the large table, putting her elbows on it before her head rested in her hands. "I'd hoped we had seen the last of him." Morgana sat down beside her. "Is there anything else you can remember?"

Morgana shook her head. "What are we going to do?" She asked. "What does it mean?" Merlyn sighed as she rested her elbows on the table, thinking over everything. "Perhaps we can ask Gaius? He may know." Morgana suggested. "Or maybe the Dragon?"

"I haven't seen Kilgharrah in months." Merlyn admitted. "He's been enjoying his freedom. Would you be able to find where Mordred killed the unicorn in your dream? I can only follow the magic scent so far. We have to know if that is what happened last night."

"I can try."

"I will go and tell Arthur. If there's something I've learnt from Mordred over the years it is that he doesn't do something without reason. We are at an advantage with you being able to see what he did otherwise we could have been caught by surprise." Merlyn stood as the two of them separated to prepare for their departure.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"What are we looking for again?" Arthur asked. They had been riding for the best part of the day, searching out the meadow from Morgana's dream. When Merlyn had told him of Morgana's dream and that it also woke her up he insisted on accompanying them. She had at first wanted to dismiss his concerns, but knew that he would follow her whether she wanted it or not.

"Arthur.." Merlyn sighed as he asked the same question he had not ten minutes ago asked again. "No one said you had to come." They had been trying to follow clues that Morgana could remember from her dream as well as Merlyn's magic but were coming up with a loss.

"What and let you and my sister ride around in the forests alone?" He countered. Morgana rode ahead of them with Leon while Gwaine and Lance bringing up the rear, each looking out for anything out of the ordinary.

"Do I need to remind you of lethal I can be?" She retorted. The banter between the two of them had never changed even if their relationship had. "It's always you that needs saving."

"In your dreams." He smirked, as a chuckle from the two knights behind them could be heard. "As a matter of fact, that's what you said last night." She lent closer to his side, and punched him hard on the arm. "Ouch!" He looked up and saw her smile as she looked ahead. He smiled softly, seeing the smile on her face that had been absent for most of the day.

"Hey guys?" Morgana spoke up from the front. "I think I've found it." She pointed ahead, and their eyes followed in the direction to see a small clearing.

The six of them slowed to a stop before both Merlyn and Morgana dismounted. They both stepped towards the open meadow. Merlyn's eyes swept the area for danger before Morgana started to head over to where she had seen the unicorn in her dream. Arthur dismounted, handing the horses reins over to Lance before heading towards the scene.

"Poor thing." Morgana bent down to the deceased animal. "Why would he do this?" Arthur watched quietly, trying to find reason for why someone would kill such a creature.

Merlyn was searching the area, looking around in the forest for any sign that someone was watching them. She felt a chill overcome her. Something wasn't right, something or someone was out there. "I don't know. It makes no sense." She concluded that the whole thing was just getting to her, and headed back toward Morgana. "We can't leave her here."

"Where do you suggest?" Arthur asked, taking in everything around them.

"Avalon." Morgana spoke up. "The Lake of Avalon. Let her rest in peace."

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Darkness had fallen over the kingdom, and everyone had retired for the evening. They had arrived back in the city after managing to take the body of the unicorn to the Lake of Avalon and it returned to the water.

The fire in Arthur's chambers was flickering as the wood burnt keeping the occupants in the room warm. "So Gwaine was chatting up the new chambermaid yesterday. Last week it was the serving girl at the tavern and the week before that it was the dressmaker in town." Arthur laughed as he lounged on his bed, resting against the pillows with one arm behind his head.

"Mhmm.." Was the only response he received. Turning his head to the side to look at her, he saw she was staring off into the fire completely off in her thoughts.

"I was thinking that Elyan was getting much better at his footwork. I might even suggest that he tries to take on both Percy and Lance at the same time."

"Mhmm.."

Smirking a little, he continued. "I also decided that I was going to turn the north tower into a brothel. I mean having to venture into town is becoming such a waste of time." He sounded as if it was the most usual conversation that they were having, watching her reactions.

"Mhmm.." He watched as he didn't even register what he was saying so he decided to continue until she would.

"I'm also getting married to the Princess of Neria. You can still stay as my mistress but there would be certain duties that I would have to perform, you know creating heirs and such. I wouldn't want to worry you with such things."

"Mhmm.. What?!" She snapped out of her thoughts, hearing the last part of what he'd said.

He started to chuckle, shaking his head a little. "Where's you head at?" He asked, dropping his arm that was around his head, wrapping it around her shoulder pulling her to him.

She sighed, pressing her nose into his chest taking a deep breath. He kissed the top of her head as he waited for her to speak. "It doesn't add up. Mordred hasn't been seen or heard from in months and the first thing he does when he reappears is kill a unicorn? None of this makes any sense."

"Did Gaius say anything when you asked him about it?" He asked.

"Nothing. He didn't know anything." She sat up, pulling away from him before turning slightly towards him. "I knew he wasn't going to go away, but why this, why now? Maybe I missed something in the meadow. We've just about got everything back to normal after the attack from Cenred. The city has finally finished rebuilding and we're strong again. If he wanted to attack he would have done it while we were at our most vulnerable. So why now? What does he hope to accomplish?"

Arthur sat up before taking her face in his hands. "You're overthinking this." He told her. "Maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it was just a coincidence that Morgana had that dream or maybe it wasn't even him." She gave him a look that told him that she didn't believe a word that he was saying. "Okay, so maybe I don't even believe that but you have to stop worrying about this. Whatever he is up to we will deal with it. Together."

She nodded as he released her face. "Together." She agreed, leaning forward to kiss him. She pulled away a little, looking him in the eye. "But if you think I'm sharing you with anyone then you're more stupid than you look." Referring to his comments when she wasn't listening. "And if I find out you've been anywhere near a brothel.." He just laughed, catching her lips with his before leaning her backwards down towards the mattress.

"Never.." He muttered against her lips. She smirked at the hold that she had over the King. She had never thought about her life after she had gotten revenge against the people responsible for her parent's death, but if someone had told her, even as an innocent child, that she would be in love with a King and have that love returned, she would never have believe it. Circumstances had lead her to where she was, and there was no where else she would rather be.

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Morning sun shone through the window directly onto Arthur's face, waking the slumbering King. He groaned as he buried his head further into the pillow trying to hide from its rays. Reaching his arm out, he searched for the other body in the bed, only to find that the sheets were cold. Lifting his head up, he looked around and saw that the room was empty. Rolling onto his back he sighed. He had a feeling that he knew exactly where she had gone. There was a knock at the door before Morris walked in with his breakfast.

"Morning sire." He bowed a little.

"Morning Morris. Have you seen Merlyn this morning?" He questioned. Despite his Knights and friends knowing about his relationship with Merlyn, they had tried to keep it quiet, but they trusted the King's servant. Every time Merlyn stayed with him, she always tried to be gone before Morris arrived with his breakfast. Normally she woke him before she left, but not today. The first time that Morris had seen the two of them when he entered the chambers quietly in the morning, he had dropped the tray, waking both the King and the Warrior up making the two shoot up in bed at the disturbance, with weapons drawn.

"She and the Lady Morgana left early this morning on horseback. Is there a problem Sire?" Morris asked, standing up straight in the proper position of a servant. Merlyn had told him several times to loosen up, but even she was thankful that it was not George who attended to Arthur. He would have been a nightmare with all of his propriety.

"No, no problem. Can you send for Sir Leon after I have breakfast?" Morris nodded, bowing before he exited the room, leaving the young King alone to ready himself for the day.

Dressing for the day, he grabbed his breakfast before heading over to the desk in his chambers. He'd never really wanted to use the office that his father had, or move chambers so he just had the documents moved to his rooms. He settled in sorting out paperwork before he had a council meeting at midday. He really did hate those things.

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"Arthur, you wanted to see me?" Leon asked as he walked into the room a time later.

"Do you know where Merlyn and Morgana have gone off to?" He asked, dropping his quill.

"Back to the meadow. I asked if they wanted me to go along but they both said no." He sat on the other seat in his office area. "What's going on with that? Why've they gone back?"

Arthur shook his head. "Merlyn thinks they missed something, that it doesn't add up." He sighed. "Something about this really has messed with Merlyn's head. She thinks he's up to something, which I don't doubt but.." Leon nodded, understanding him. "Remember the council meeting later."

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"We must get to the bottom of what happened in the attack!" One of the council members announced. "Magic was used and no punishment has ever been given."

"It was that magic that saved us." Another argued back.

"And we just let whoever just get away with it?! It is against the law, punishable by death!" The first retorted.

"Sire.." The second turned to the King who had avoided this for the past few months. The Knights that were on the battlefield that day knew about both Merlyn and Morgana. When Merlyn had come back from the dead, they had tried to avoid giving an explanation to what had happened, but Arthur eventually relented telling them that the sorcerer that had saved her life by just keeping her from death until she healed.

"Those who were responsible for the use of magic during the battle have been pardoned and that will be the end of it. They are under my protection." He said, trying to move on.

"Sire, we, as the council, should be made aware of these people and they should be banished. Just because they helped this time doesn't mean that they won't turn on us the next time." They had been pestering him for months about revealing the identities of the sorcerers, but yet again he refused. Merlyn and Morgana were no danger to them, but if the council or the public found out about it, it could put them both in danger.

"Their identities are known to me and believe me when I say that they will not turn against us." He said. "I said after I was crowned King that I would not be my father. Whether you agree or not, it was my decision to reduce the punishment of the use of magic according to what I deem fit. The punishment will fit the crime."

"But Sire.."

"That is final." He slammed his fist down on the table. "Is there anything else any of the council members would like to bring up?" He demanded to know.

Each other them looked to one another as Leon sat in the chair beside the King, wishing that he was anywhere else but here, but as his role as the most senior Knight, he had to be there. He just envied Merlyn who'd managed to get out of it. "There has been talk about uniting the Kingdoms." Arthur internalised a groan. He knew exactly where this was going. "The Princess of.."

"Stop before you say anything else. I will decide when and who I marry. I appreciate your concern on the matter, but marrying so soon after my coronation would be unwise and seen as being weak. So if there isn't anything else.."

The doors to the great hall slammed open as Lance rushed in, breathing heavily. Arthur's head snapped up as everyone turned to face the interruption. Lance knew not to interrupt a council meeting unless it was an urgent matter. "Arthur.. Taika's returned.. alone." His heart stopped as he saw the panic evident as he saw the look in the warrior's eyes.

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Rushing down the steps of the courtyard, he heard the terrified sounds of Taika as she pulled against the stable boys who were trying to restrain her. He quickly grabbed the reins of her, and started to brush her nose, whispering words of comfort trying to calm the distressed horse down. Merlyn was usually the only one who could calm her, but he had to do something.

She stopped struggling after not too long and it was the first time Arthur could truly take in the state of the horse. There was an arrow sticking out of the saddle, which hadn't pierced through to injure the horse. He saw smudges of blood on the creature's neck.

He looked over to Leon and Lance who were stood looking worried behind him. "Ready the Warriors." He ordered. Both nodded, heading off in different directions.

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**Please review and let me know what you think x**


	3. Chapter 2: Two for Tragedy

_A/N - Thanks for all the reviews :).. Enjoy_

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**Chapter 2 – Two for Tragedy**

_The horses made their way towards the lake. Morgana yawned quietly as she tried to keep her eyes open from the early start they had made from the castle. When Merlyn had come to her chambers before dawn broke, she had wanted to kill the warrior. She had agreed to accompany the warrior, having similar thoughts about the intentions of Mordred. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since she had that dream._

"_What are you expecting to find there?" She asked, trying to mask the sign of tiredness._

"_I'm not sure. Something just doesn't feel right about this whole thing." Merlyn admitted._

"_So why are we going to the Lake rather than the meadow? Surely it would be there that we would find some clues." Morgana questioned._

"_There's someone that I want to see." Merlyn stated, with a small smile on her face._

_The lake came into view. It had a different feeling over it than it had the previous day. Yesterday it was full of sorrow for the passing of such a beautiful animal; today it was full of wonder. They pulled their horses to a stop before dismounting and allowing the horses to drink._

"_So where's this person you wanted to see?" Morgana asked, looking around to see if she could see any signs of someone's presence. _

_Merlyn smiled before she looked towards the water. "Freya? I need to speak to you." Merlyn had never mentioned Freya to anyone other than Gaius before. She hadn't told them what happened after she had died or that it was Freya who made her realize that she needed to move on before she could truly move on._

_Morgana watched in amazement as the water began to shift. A swirl began to manifest itself, before out of the water emerged a beautiful woman. Her long dark hair fell to her waist as she wore a long white dress. She could have mistaken her for an angel if she hadn't just seen her emerge from the water._

"_Merlyn." Freya smiled before turning to the shocked Morgana. "Morgana."_

"_Errrr…" She looked between Merlyn and Freya in confusion. She stood in amazement that she had just watched this woman emerge from the water. While Morgana had seen so much in the recent past, something just still amazed her._

"_Morgana, this is Freya." Merlyn introduced her. "The Lady of the Lake?" She asked when Morgana didn't seem to understand. Merlyn had grown up on stories of dragons and other magical beings, so she thought that Morgana may have heard them somewhere around, but then again it wasn't like Camelot was the most talkative place when it came to magic over the fear of being killed by just mentioning the word and being accused of sorcery. _

"_It's erm.. nice to meet you." She stammered. Freya smiled warmly to her before turning back to Merlyn._

"_You have a question for me child?" She asked, stepping closer to them under only the bottom of her feet were connected to the water. She didn't look as if a drop of water had touched her._

"_What would someone need a unicorn's horn for?" She asked. If she could figure out why he needed it, she could possibly figure out what he was planning and stop it before anyone was in danger._

"_You speak of Mordred." Merlyn nodded. "There are many spells, dark magic, that require a unicorn's horn, but there are few sorcerers who are able to use such power." Freya informed her._

"_Could Morderd do it?" Morgana asked, getting over her state of shock. While Merlyn had been teaching Morgana about magic and how to use her magic, there was still a lot that Merlyn was still trying to learn for herself._

"_He would in time. His power is strong, but at the moment he can not contain such power." Freya answered. She had once explained to Merlyn that each person has to be able to contain their magic. Despite Merlyn being the most powerful sorceress to ever walk the earth, she could not truly embrace her powers until she was able to control it. _

"_Do you know what he intends?" Merlyn asked._

"_Even my knowledge is limited, child." Freya smiled sadly. "I am afraid I can not help further. Mordred has learnt to keep his thoughts hidden from those who go looking for them, such as yourself." Merlyn had learnt a long time ago to shield her magic essence from others. If another sorcerer tried to sense her magic, they would not be able to. It was a trick her father had taught her since she was a child. It was dangerous to let people know of her gifts._

"_Thank you, Freya." Freya smiled at the two of them before taking a few steps backwards into the water. The two of them watched as the woman turned and walked back into the lake until the surface was calm once more._

-x-x-x-x-x-

_The horses trotted at a relaxed pace as the two made their way back towards Camelot. The trip to the lake was a long one, but they should be home mid afternoon. Thankfully it wasn't an overnight trip like so many others had been. Merlyn had been on patrol with Arthur many times to know that the feel of a nice warm bed was far better than that of the forest floor. If it had been a longer journey, she would had woken Arthur and asked for him and the Warriors to accompany them._

_Merlyn thought about what would be happening in Camelot right at this moment. She smiled as she thought of Arthur bored out of his mind, as the council meeting should be starting about now. They spent most of the time during the meetings giving each other looks. None of the council members ever noticed, but Leon did, rolling his eyes at them. She couldn't help it if those men made her want to jump form the castle towers. _

_She thought back to that morning. She had hated having to pull away from him, but if they didn't leave early then they wouldn't have been back so soon. She had kissed his forehead before she had slipped out of the room, making sure that none of the guards saw her leaving. Once she was free of the corridor, she was fine. The amount of times she had had to hide behind tapestries was ridiculous. If anyone had seen Arthur walking away from Gaius' chambers early in the morning they wouldn't bat an eyelid._

"_So do you think that Mordred is working for someone else? Someone stronger?" Morgana asked, bringing Merlyn out of her thoughts. "It seems a little odd for him to kill the Unicorn and take the horn if it wasn't for some sort of plan."_

"_Possibly, but that's what worries me." She sighed. They continued their journey for a short while._

_Merlyn suddenly pulled Taika to a stop, her body tensing as she sensed that something was wrong. Morgana did the same, looking confused as to what was going on. "Someone's there." She whispered._

_Searching the tree line, Merlyn cursed herself for not picking up on it earlier. There were men with bows aimed at them while others had their swords out, ready to attack, They were surrounded, there was no way out. She saw a bowstring being drawn back aimed at Morgana and she quickly flung herself at the other girl, knocking them both from the horses, the arrow scratching Taika as they did._

_Morgana's horse bolted taking her weapons with it, but Taika stayed. Merlyn stood, taking her swords from the saddle before tossing one to Morgana. She removed her bow from where it rested over her shoulders. She grabbed a few arrows out of her pack on her back and placed three on her bow, laying it horizontally. She took a deep breath before shooting, each finding their targets as men dropped to the ground with arrows sticking out of their chests. _

_Before she could reload her bow, she heard a man approaching her. Turning quickly, she blocked a sword attack with her bow, snapping it in two. Throwing the broken weapon to the side, she readied her sword as she prepared for him to charge at her again. He didn't disappoint her, swinging wildly. She dodged easily, kicking him in the back before turning her attention to another._

_She flung the sword towards her new opponent, slicing his throat before focusing on another one. She took down a couple more men, stabbing one in the stomach and another in the side before she heard a scream from Morgana. Turning her head for a second, she saw the Princess out cold on the floor. It was a distraction long enough for her opponent to bash her over the head. She dropped to the floor, dropping her sword, her vision coming and going._

_Focusing just long enough, she stared Taika who hadn't moved in the eyes before muttering a spell. She heard shouts from their attackers as the horse bolted in their direction towards Camelot. Her vision went black as she passed out, unable to hold it off any longer._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur and his knights came across the attack site. Arthur hopped down and saw the tracks of a couple of distressed horses. He spotted a few men with arrows sticking out from their chests as well as a couple with their throats cut and stab wounds. They put up a fight.

"Where are they?" Lance asked as they searched the bodies. "If this was just a random attack, then where are they?"

"Could be wandering around the forest lost and hurt." Leon commented, his face stone-like. He didn't want even want to begin to think what could have happened to Morgana. His only thoughts were about finding them.

"Split up and search the area. Lance, Gwaine, you take the east. Percy, Elyan, you go west. Everyone else, spread out." Arthur commanded, and everyone spread out while he and Leon searched the immediate area.

Something silver caught his eye. Crouching down to the grass at the side of the road, his eyes welled up. He picked up the necklace and the pendant. It was Merlyn's. The pendant was a bird with it's wings out-stretched that her mother had given her on her tenth birthday. She had treasured it all her life. It was the only thing that she had left of her mother. Arthur brought the pendant to his lips, trying to banish his tears away.

A few paces away he saw the remains of a bow that he knew only too well. It was broken in half. He picked up the two pieces and looked over the beautifully carved wood. She could always polish it, making sure that the bow, as well as her swords were in the best condition possible.

"Arthur?" Leon called him as he saw that his King hadn't moved for a while, walking over to him. He saw the piece of jewellery in his hand.

"It's Merlyn's." Arthur simply said. "It must have fallen off in the fight." He stood, clearing his throat. "You found anything?" He asked.

"Nothing. There are no tracks. It's like they just vanished. Who would take them? What for? A ransom?" Leon asked.

"This wasn't spontaneous. This was a planned attack. They knew that Merlyn wouldn't be able to leave it alone. This is the same trail, which leads to the meadow as well as the lake. They expected her to go back and waited to make their attack." The men were slowly making their way back to the King. From one look on their faces, they had found nothing. Lance and Gwaine shook their heads remorsefully when Arthur looked at them. Percy stepped forward with two weapons in his hands. Arthur took them from him. They were Merlyn's swords. He cursed himself. That meant that wherever they were, they were practically unarmed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The darkness took over the castle. Arthur stood in front of his window looking out into the pitch black. The only lights were those of the torches on the gates and walls. They had searched for hours, only retreating once all of the days light had left them. He'd sent men to nearby villages to ask around to see if they had seen or heard anything, but no one had. Merlyn's swords and her broken bow lay on his table as her necklace hung around his neck. He would keep it safe until she could wear it once more.

He glared into the night sky. It was Mordred. He was behind this, he knew it. He should never have let Merlyn go alone, not that he'd had much say when she snuck out early in the morning. Not only did she put herself in danger, she also put Morgana in danger and now neither of them were anywhere to be seen.

He was angry at her and at Morgana for agreeing to go with her. But more importantly he was angry at himself. He should have insisted on returning with her. He knew what she was going to do and that she would go back, so why didn't he stop her? Why did he just let it happen? He should have insisted that she had Knights with her at all times, even at her displeasure.

"Arrrgh!" He shouted, throwing a goblet across the room in a rage. Why did she always have to do things that put her life in danger?! She infuriated him. When he got her back he would chained her in the castle.

A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts. "Sire?" Leon's voice broke through the silent room. "The last of the Knights have returned. There is no news." He regretfully told his King.

"Why would he do this?" Arthur asked him, his back still to his second in command. "What does he want with them?"

"Who, sire?" Leon asked, stepping towards his friend.

"Mordred. It's him, he's behind all of this." Arthur finally turned. "It was that damn unicorn horn. What does he want with it and with them?"

"I don't know sire."

"Tell the Knights we are heading out at dawn." He ordered. Leon nodded once, before leaving the room. He wouldn't rest until his sister was back in the castle safe and Merlyn was back in his arms.

-x-x-x-x-x-

He couldn't sleep. He'd paced, and he'd tried to catch up on some paperwork, but his mind wouldn't let him. There was nothing he could do until the sun came up. He'd found himself walking the halls, towards Gaius' and Merlyn's chambers. He was about to turn and walk away until he saw the flickering light from underneath the door. It was well into the night, and everyone with any sense went to sleep long ago.

Tapping lightly on the door, he opened it to reveal Gaius sat at his table with books covering every surface. Gaius looked up at the entrance before welcoming him in. From one glance at the books, he knew that Gaius was trying to find anything that could possibly help. He was looking up spells and enchantments that could have use for a unicorn's horn.

"Found anything?" He asked, sitting across the table from the older man.

"Nothing." Gaius sighed in defeat. "None of these books have anything about unicorn's horns. I'd hoped that if we figured out what he was up to that it would give us a clue as to where he has taken the girls."

They sat in silence for a long while as Gaius continued to read. Arthur picked up a book and flicked through a few pages. Quite a lot of the words he couldn't read. He guessed that they were in the language of the old religion. He'd never really taken much notice of the art that went behind magic. Growing up he'd been taught to hate it and even now he still had a large distrust for it. He trusted Merlyn and Morgana with his life, but magic in general he was still wary of. He'd seen too much to be convinced to put down his mistrust.

"Have you thought about going to see the dragon?" Gaius asked, breaking the silence.

"I can't contact the dragon. Only Merlyn can do that." Arthur sighed.

"Perhaps, but it's worth a try."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur stood in the small meadow that Merlyn had once taken him to before when he met the dragon. He stared up at the stars, hoping that somewhere that they were both alright.

"Dragon? Are you there?" Arthur spoke to the sky. "I know you only answer to Merlyn but I really need your help. She's in danger, and so is my sister." He stood waiting for something to happen. He didn't know what he expected, but somehow he was disappointed. He knew it was a long shot in the first place.

He sat down on a boulder that was at the edge of the meadow as he continued to stare up at the stars. His mind began to wander to all the horrible things that could be happening to his sister and his love at this very moment. He didn't know how much time had passed, but soon enough feel in the air changed.

The sound of flapping wings filled the sky as the dragon made its presence known. Once it had landed and settled Arthur approached it. "You called me Young King." The dragon addressed him.

"Do you know where Merlyn and Morgana are?" He asked. "They were attacked and they could have been kidnapped."

"Hmmm.. That is worrying news." Kilgarrah admitted. "You believe it to be the work of the young warlock?"

"Mordred? Yes." Arthur nodded.

"I am afraid I do not know the location of them, but I will look." Arthur nodded, thanking the dragon. If anyone could find them, it was him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please Review! x**


	4. Chapter 3: Bare Grace Misery

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy.. x_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 3: Bare Grace Misery**

Her head hurt as she woke. She was warm; something was draped over her body. Opening her eyes slowly, she let them adjust before she took notice of where she was. Sitting up, she looked around the small tent that she was placed in. She tried desperately to remember what had happened. She was going to the lake with Merlyn. Movement at the flap of the tent drew her attention as she tensed up.

"Do not be afraid Princess, we wish you no harm." A bald man wearing robes told her as he entered. Something about this man made her trust him. He didn't mean her any harm, but the question was where was she exactly?

"Where am I?" Morgana asked, bringing her hand to her head, feeling a large bump on the head. Well that would explain why she couldn't quite remember what had happened.

"You are in our camp. We found you in the forest two days ago." The man told her.

Morgana took a little more notice of his clothes before realizing where she was. "You're a Druid." There was a time when she would be afraid of druids, but they were her kin. Merlyn had taught her about the different kinds of magical people, and she'd spoken highly of the druids. They had lived their lives hiding from those who wanted to do them harm, but practiced safe magic. They were peaceful people by nature.

"I am." He confirmed. "My name is Isaac. We fixed up your wounds as best we could."

"Thank you." She swung her legs off the makeshift bed before looking for her boots. She tried to remember what happened. She remembered being attacked on the return journey, and she remembered waking up somewhere else as well.

"I would not advise you leaving." Isaac told her. "While your wounds were not fatal, they were substantial. You should rest."

"I have to get back to Camelot. My brother will be worried." She quickly explained before she suddenly froze. "You said you found me two days ago, was there another woman with me?"

"I am afraid not. We found only you. You were barely conscious at the time and kept saying the name Merlyn over and over again. We searched for another but we could not find anyone."

"Thank you, Isaac."

-x-x-x-x-x-

_When she woke, her head hurt. Pain filled her body as if she had been beaten. Morgana looked around, seeing that they were still outside. She attempted to move her hands before she realized that they were bound by rope, with the end connected to a wooden stump._

_Quickly remembering that they were ambushed when returning from the lake, she turned to see Merlyn coming to. "Merlyn, you okay?" She whispered, trying to avoid any attention being brought to them since it seemed like the men had stopped for the night._

"_Ouch." Merlyn muttered before taking in the scene before them. "I'm fine, how about you?" She quickly scanned the area, and determined how many captors there were._

"_Just a sore head. Who are these men?" She asked._

"_Got to be something to do with Mordred." Merlyn speculated. "You can still use your magic right?" Morgana nodded, confused. "They must have given me something that's affecting mine. I can't even use it to sense how many of them there are. Can you use it to untie these ropes? We'll make a run for it and try to lose them in the forest."_

_Morgana concentrated on the rope, muttering a little spell before the rope began to loosen enough for her to slip her hands out. She did the same with Merlyn's before the two of them stood._

_Keeping out of sight, they made a break for it, trying to stay as quiet as possible. They hadn't got very far before they heard a shout behind them. "They've gotten free! After them!"_

"_Run!" Merlyn shouted, making sure that Morgana was in front of her. Pounding feet hit the ground behind them. "Split up. You go left." Morgana agreed without question._

_She ran for another five minutes before one of men caught up with her. He tackled her to the ground. She jumped up as quickly as she could before she turned to fight him. He swung for her, but she ducked before kicking him in the junk. He fell like a sack of potatoes before she kicked the side of his head to knock him out._

"_They went this way!" She heard in the distance. She didn't have time to run, she looked around until she found a small open tree truck and hid. Heart pounding she tried to remain silent. "Look!" The voice said again._

_She heard movement close by. Closing her eyes she prayed that they wouldn't spot her. She held her breath. "Let her go. She's irrelevant, it's the other one we need. Get after her."_

_Footsteps retreated. She waited a few minutes, the pain in her head coming to the forefront once more. She slowly crawled out of her hiding space, before stumbling away. She wanted to get as far away as possible._

_Her vision began to fail her, she collapsed to her knees as she could no longer see. She fell to the floor. She can barely remember several voices, but then everything went silent._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Leon was leading a group of knights out on patrol. They were searching the roads once more. Three days had passed since Morgana and Merlyn had gone missing, and they weren't giving up. They would go back to every village time and time again if it meant finding them.

His attention was caught further up the road. Someone was walking with a limp towards them wearing a cloak with their hood pulled up. Signaling for his men to halt, he hopped down from his horse and stepped towards the person.

"Excuse me.." He spoke, but his voice caught in his throat when the person lifted their head to look at him. "Morgana?!" He bolted forwards, gathering her up in his arms.

"Leon." She sighed, tears running from her eyes. "Thank god."

He pulled away slightly checking her over for injuries. He could see a few bumps and bruises but other than that she looked alright. "What happened? Are you alright?" He asked hurried.

"We were ambushed. We managed to escape but we got split up. Please tell me that you've found her." She cried.

"We've been searching for days. Let's get you back to Camelot." He put his arm around her shoulders, leading her towards his horse. He helped her up before mounting behind her. "I'm so glad you're alright." He whispered into her ear. She didn't respond and when he looked down he saw she had fallen straight to sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur sat at his desk catching up on paperwork. The council members demanded that they needed their King in the castle rather than out looking for the girls. Arthur had refused for the first two days, but then when Gaius had told him that running himself ragged would do him no good. They had the knights out looking as well as the Dragon. He hadn't been sleeping, so that put his men at more risk having to watch his back more than usual.

He fiddled with the quill in his hand as he looked at the little bottle that sat at the edge of his desk. Gaius had given him a sleeping draft. He'd refused to have it the night before, but he needed to get some rest. His mind wouldn't leave the terrible thoughts that filled his head. Anything could be happening to them right in this second.

His door crashed open, making him jump slightly. Morris had stormed in, against his nature, out of breath pointing back the way he'd come.

"Morgana.. Sire.. They've found her.." Arthur was on his feet in a millisecond. He was out the door and ran through the castle until he came to the main doors. The courtyard was at a standstill as Leon helped the Princess down off him horse.

Morgana turned to look at him, tears filling her eyes. "Arthur.." She sobbed, finding herself in his arms with a second.

"Thank god you are alright." Arthur held her tight, refusing to let her go. "You had me so worried that I'd lose you too." She was his only family left. He would do anything to keep her from harm.

"Merlyn.." She whispered. "I didn't want to leave her.. But she told me to run, to split up.. Arthur.. I.." She sobbed.

"Shhh.. It's fine, you're safe now." He comforted her. He held back his own sobs as she spoke of Merlyn.

"Merlyn.." She cried.

"We'll find her, Morg. We have to."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Standing outside of her chambers as Gaius checked her over to make sure that she was all right, Arthur paced. Leon was stood leaning against the wall opposite the door as they waited.

"She'll be alright, you know." Leon tried to comfort him. "This is Merlyn. She'll kick all of their asses."

"So why isn't she here? It's been nearly four days. If she had gotten away like Morgana had, how come she isn't here?" Arthur asked. "They could have caught her again or even be bleeding alone in the forest. She could be.." He couldn't let himself think like that.

Leon didn't get chance to respond as Gaius opened the door, allowing them both back into the room. "How is she?" Leon asked as he looked over to see Morgana resting peacefully in her bed.

"She bruised and battered, sprained her left ankle and has a rather nasty bump on her head from where I expect they knocked her out, but in time she will heal." Gaius informed them. "She needs to rest, but she wanted to talk to you before I gave her a sleeping draft."

The men nodded before heading over to the bed as Morgana opened her eyes. "Hey." She smiled at the two of them.

"How are you feeling?" Arthur asked, sitting on the bed beside her.

"Better." She smiled a little before turning serious once more. "I don't know where in the forest that the druids found me, but you could ask them. Their camp is just west of where Leon found me."

Arthur turned to Leon who knew what to do. "I shall ready the men." He nodded before leaving the room, leaving the siblings alone.

"I'm glad you're alright." Arthur sighed, brushing some hair out of her face. "I don't know what I'd have done.."

"Arthur, I'm fine." She tried to reassure him. Her face betrayed her.

"Morgana, what is it?" He asked, picking up on the fact.

"I dreamt of this.. It was months ago, not long after the battle." She sobbed.

"What do you mean?" Arthur was confused. He knew about her dreams, but he didn't understand why she hadn't told them.

"I told Merlyn, but she said it was just a dream. I was having nightmares about everyone dying in a different way, but that one felt different, it felt real." She cried. "Arthur, I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey." He pulled her into his arms. "Morgana, this is not your fault, none of it. We will find her." She nodded, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "Get some rest." Arthur told her, helping her rest against her pillows.

He stayed for a little while longer until Gaius came to give her a sleeping draft, and she was out like a light.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Stay here." Arthur ordered his men as they saw a small settlement up ahead. Dismounting from his horse, he left his swords in the saddle. He still had the dagger Merlyn had bought him, but that was only if absolutely necessary.

He approached the camp only to be surrounded by Druids in their capes, hoods pulled over their heads.

"I'm here to speak to Isaac." He announced, looking around all of them.

Eventually one man stepped forward. "What do we owe for the King's presence in our camp?" The man asked.

"Are you Isaac?" He asked, addressing the man. The man nodded slowly, keeping eye contact with him at all times. "I owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you for saving my sister."

"It is not in our nature to let one of our own perish." He told him, signaling that he knew about Morgana's powers.

"Thank you." The man nodded in acceptance. The other druids that were surrounding them began to disappear.

"You would like to know where we found her." The man stated knowing why the King had come.

"Yes. There was another who was taken along with my sister."

"Who is this Merlyn to you? Trying to find your sister, that I can understand, but for a King to worry about a lowly commoner.." Isaac stated.

"There is nothing common about Merlyn. I would give my life for her." Arthur sounded determined.

"There are many stories of this Merlyn. Some say she is the reincarnation of the great Emrys, and there are others that say that she is destined to be the Queen to the once and future King. Is it however possible that she could be neither, or perhaps both?" He began speaking in riddles.

"Merlyn is Merlyn. She will never back down when everything stands in her way and somehow despite all the darkness that she's had to fight through, she broke through and stepped into the light." Arthur described. "She may be the greatest sorceress to ever live, and she may not be of nobility but I love her nevertheless."

Silence surrounded them, the determination in Arthur's eyes burning through. Isaac studied him for a moment, before nodding.

"We shall lead you to where we found your sister. And we shall also search for Merlyn in the places that you can not." He assured him. "To your people she may just be a commoner, but to ours she is a Queen."

"Thank you."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur studied the ground near where they had found Morgana. They had reverse followed the tracks, leading them to where a small camp had stopped for the night. The tracks from where it had diminished over the passing days. This was the closest they had come to finding her, and he wouldn't give up.

Isaac went along with them. He had said that Merlyn was his Queen, and they would do all that they could to help the King.

"Sire." Leon came into view as Arthur looked at the rope that was still attached to the stump. He saw some blood on the rope assuming it is where the scrapes about Morgana's wrists came from. "We've found something."

Standing up, Arthur followed Leon until they came to a wooded area. Pointing to the ground, Leon show Arthur a pool of blood. Kneeling beside it was Isaac, murmuring a spell over it.

"This blood belongs to someone with strong magic." He confirmed, standing upright. "I believe this is your Merlyn's." He informed the King.

"How long would she have having a wound enough to make her lose this much blood?" He asked, pushing his feeling aside as best he could.

"I'd say hours if not treated." Isaac informed him. "There is some blood leading that way making me believe that their captors caught up to her. There is more blood here which is not hers suggesting that she put up a fight before she was dragged away."

"Could she still be alive?" Arthur asked.

"It is possible with her magic running through her blood. It could regenerate itself at a rapid pace. After that trail there I am afraid there is no sign of where she or her captors went." He regretfully explained. "I will send my people out to other encampments and request their help."

"Thank you." Arthur said in a daze. He stepped away to compose himself.

"Arthur?" Leon followed him, knowing that his King needed a friend right now.

"What if we can't find her Leon?"

"We will Sire." Leon assured him. "She's strong."

"Yes she is, but not with that amount of blood lost." Arthur turned back and pointed to the pool, tears threatening to run down his face.

"Arthur, during that battle, she died and still made her way back to you." Leon reminded him. "She will be fine. We will find her."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Days passed and Morgana insisted on traveling with them in search of Merlyn. They'd gone to the forgotten castle where Helios had held them hostage, but there was no sign that anyone had been there since the last time when he and Merlyn had been captured. He knew it was a long shot that Mordred would take her there, but he was grasping at straws. He couldn't think of anywhere. She could have crossed oceans by now. He just hoped that the dragon would be able to locate her soon.

They camped outside on their return to Camelot from the castle. All of the knights had fallen asleep in their areas as Arthur stared into the dying fire. Morgana sat on the log beside him.

"She is alive you know." Morgana assured him.

"Yeah? How do you know?" He asked, not turning to look at her.

"I would feel it if she wasn't. You know like during the battle when she died, I felt it. It was like hundreds of ice shards impaled my body at once. Magic connects us. If she had died, I would have been able to feel it." She told him.

"You know you said you dreamt of this. What did you see?" He asked. "Could held us locate her."

"It was just like a dungeon or a tower. There was just a wooden door with bars across the window. And there was a window, bars down it as well. She was chained to the wall, by her wrists and her neck." Arthur closed his eyes, trying to keep telling himself that she was alive, somewhere, she was alive.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Let me know what you think! x**


	5. Chapter 4: Live to Tell the Tale

A/N - Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry I haven't had time to reply to any but I will get on to it as soon as I can! Here's the new update.

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Chapter 4: Live to Tell the Tale

Cold and alone, she woke. Moving her hand to her head, she felt the area that she had been beaten over the head and felt nothing. She felt no pain that should have been there. She moved her hands down to her side where she had been stabbed; again there was nothing to suggest anything had happened to her. She remembered the attack clearly, and then trying to escape.

She had told Morgana to run left before trying to attract most of the men to follow her. She couldn't let Morgana get hurt when it was her that they were after. Even if that hadn't been the case, it was still her job to protect the Princess. She knew that they were after her when she couldn't use her magic. They had slipped her something to temporarily stop her ability to use it.

_She had run for what felt like ages with her head pounding, but they caught up to her. She had tried to fight them off but the pain she felt when one sliced her side made her fall to the ground. Somehow, it hurt more that time than the last time she was stabbed. She cried out in pain as the blood pooled around her. As she lay on the ground, she prayed that Morgana had gotten away, and she sent Arthur a small pray. This was the end, and there was nothing she could do about it._

In her confusion, someone entered the room. She jumped backwards, away from the intruder. Her eyes grew angry as she stared into the smug face of the one who had put her here.

"You!" She shouted, her eyes turning gold as she tried to use her magic. But nothing happened. She tried it again, but again her magic failed her. "What have you done to me?!" She demanded to know as Mordred stood across the room watching in amazement, as she could do nothing.

"We couldn't have to casting yourself out of here now could we." Mordred smirked as he walked around the room. He walked over to the window and looked out before turning back to her. In his hand, he summoned an apple to appear. He tossed it up in the air a couple of times before taking a bite out of it.

"What do you want with me?" She asked, eyeing him warily.

"It's not what we want with you that should be your question, rather what we want from you." He replied smugly. "Now the answer to that question is easy.. Your magic."

"So what, you're going to kill me to get it?" She asked. "Sorry to tell you but Agravaine already tried that and it didn't work. If I die, my magic dies along with me."

Mordred laughed, shaking his head. "Don't be silly, we aren't going to kill you.. Well at least not yet. No.. We have something much more fun planned." He tossed the bitten apple over to her. It rolled, covered now in dirt, in front of her. Her eyes glanced at it before looking back up to Mordred. "Got to keep your strength up." He smirked before leaving, the door slamming shut behind him.

She had wanted to fight him, but without her magic as back up, she knew that it was a waste of energy. She knew he was taunting her, and the look on his face when she had tried to do magic angered her. He took pleasure out of her torturing. Ignoring the apple on the floor, she moved as fast as she could over to the window. She needed to know where she was in order to make a plan to escape.

_Looking out, she gasped in surprise. She was in Camelot. The courtyard, the people, the view of the landscape, it was all the same view as she would see if she looked out of her bedroom window in Gaius' quarters. It wasn't possible. She looked down and saw Lance and Gwaine laughed and messing around with each other. She watched as Arthur and Leon walked through the gates, looking like they had just come form the practice fields. She watched as Arthur glanced up towards her window and smile at her. She quickly retreated._

"_How is that possible?" She whispered. She couldn't be in Camelot. This was a trick, it was all a trick it had to be. Backing away from the window, she turned around, finding herself back in her room at home._

"_This isn't real." She muttered, taking in the sight of everything that she had left behind in Camelot. All her books were spread out open on the floor from where she had left them the last time. "What are you doing to me?!" She shouted, knowing that they listening to her. "Whatever you are trying to do, it won't work!" Closing her eyes tightly, sinking to the ground, she shook her head. They were trying to get into it, and she wouldn't let them. She couldn't let them into her head. She knew what was real and what wasn't. She wasn't in Camelot. She was in some cell, captured by Mordred for some god-awful reason._

Opening her eyes, she was back in the cold cell. Taking a deep breath, she sat back down on the floor, leaning against the wall. She couldn't use her magic, and she couldn't get out of here. All she could do was sit there and wait, wait for Arthur to come and save her. She's not a damsel in distress, but it seems like this time there was no saving herself.

"Arthur.." She whispered.

-x-x-x-x-x-

It had been a week since Morgana had returned. Every day Arthur sent out his knights, and everyday they came back with no news. He had finally relented on going out searching himself. The council argued that he couldn't leave his Kingdom without guidance. They needed their King, and as much as she didn't like it, Morgana agreed.

"_I have to be out there!" Arthur shouted. He and Morgana were in his chambers. They had just come from a council meeting where they had practically forbidden Arthur to leave, to lead the searches for Merlyn._

"_Arthur.." Morgana didn't want to shout at him. She already felt guilty enough for the fact that she had returned and Merlyn was still out there. "Arthur, as much as you need to lead the men, you also need to lead your people. They look to you for leadership, and you need to give them that, now more than ever. Since the attack the people are worried that it is all a plan that something is coming. You need to be here to reassure them. The knights will find her."_

"_Morgana.. I can't lose her." Arthur sighed, collapsing into one of his chairs beside the fireplace in his chambers._

"_She would want you to be here, looking after your people. You know it's true." Morgana knelt by his side. "We won't stop looking for her."_

It had taken much convincing, but he finally gave in. He expected full reports from the leading knights and every day he sent them further and further a field. He'd sent a couple of the warriors to their allied neighboring kingdom's to see whether they had any news, but nothing. There were no traces of them. It was as if they had dropped off the planet. The only comfort he had was that neither Morgana or the dragon had felt anything like they had when Merlyn had died on the battlefield. That kept his hope alive that she was alive and alright somewhere out there.

He was sat at the head of the table in the great hall. He had his head in his hands as the Knights finished telling him of their findings, which as a short story added up to nothing. All of them were silent around the table, waiting for their King to speak. None of them dared to say what they were truly thinking. They were losing hope of ever finding her every day that passed, but Arthur wouldn't give up. He couldn't give up.

"Sire.. " He looked up at Leon who had addressed him. ".. what about speaking to you uncle?" He wondered. Arthur's face scrunched up in confusion. Agravaine hadn't been thought about, let alone mentioned in months. There were very few people who knew where Agravaine had been placed, and he wasn't allowed visitors. If someone had tried to break him out, Morgana would know about it. They had enchanted the cell.

"What use would that be?" Arthur asked, trying to understand where his second in command was coming from.

"He worked with Mordred, so maybe he would know some plans on why they would want her." Arthur thought about it for a moment before nodded. He could see the theory behind it. Agravaine was the last person that he wanted to see, but if it helped him get Merlyn back, then he would do anything.

He stood, telling them he wants another round done, before dismissing them all making his way into the dungeons.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur stood by the edge of the room, watching the man in the cell sleep. The torches that were lit allowed him to stay in the shadows. He gazed through the glowing enchanted blue bars at the man he once considered to be family. He had lost that right the moment he betrayed them.

Agravaine. The man who betrayed his family. He plotted to overpower the King and take the Kingdom right out from under him and he probably would have done if it had not been for Merlyn. As much as Arthur hated to think about it, it was true. If Merlyn hadn't have been in Camelot and found evidence against him, he would have gotten away with it all. It was Merlyn who had told him the truth about his uncle. He was the one responsible for carrying out a night raid on a peaceful village. He had slaughter hundreds in his hunt for the Dragonlords. He'd found them, but he was arrogant. He failed to capture a child. A child that would one day come back to find revenge for her family and friends. A child that would grow up to become his demise.

Merlyn had warned him after her secret of being the assassin that was sent to kill him was revealed. She hadn't killed him, though she tried but instead she saved him, and that was what she had been doing ever since. He would forever be thankful to Merlyn for what she had helped to stop.

A groan from the cell brought him back into the real world. Agravaine sat up, swinging him legs down, rubbing his eyes. He'd been down here alone for so long, he didn't even know how much time had passed. Years, decades could have passed him by and he wouldn't have a clue. He was weak, and he hadn't seen the sun or the sky in so long.

He looked around the four walls that he would be staring at for the rest of his life when he noticed a difference in the corner. Arthur. He blinked a few times to make sure that he wasn't going crazy, but that was relative anyway. When the figure didn't disappear, he knew that he was really there. His nephew had come to see him, but that only meant one thing. He wanted information.

"Well, I must say I haven't had a visitor in such a long time. You're servants are definitely quiet. They always wait until I am asleep." He stood, stretching his legs, rolling his shoulders. He was not much more than skin and bone. He'd been fed, and he was never starved, but with the lack of movement and limited space, the muscles had deteriorated. He was weak.

"That's their job." Arthur commented, emotion void from his voice. He pitied the man, but he had brought this on himself. He once thought his uncle to be one of his heroes up there with his father, but time revealed the truth. He wasn't a hero, he was a coward. His father made mistakes, but at least he thought he was doing good by his people. But Agravaine, he did everything he did for his own selfish reasons.

"So what are you doing down here?" Agravaine came to stand in front of the blue glowing bars. He dared not touch them otherwise they would burn him. He'd tried that soon after he had entered the cell. The problem was that even though it burnt his skin, the skin would heal straight away. Any thoughts he had about using the bars to kill himself were quickly silenced. "Come to torture me some more? Perhaps go back on your word and execute me?"

"Execution would be too good for you." Arthur hissed, the pain of betrayal still fresh in his mind. Casting away any other thoughts, he had to get the information he needed. He needed to focus. "What were your plans when you found Emrys?" Arthur asked, pushing off the wall. "When you had her, what did you plan to do to her."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Agravaine denied, turning and walking over to his cot, sitting on the edge of it. "My plan was to kill her, but it seems like even when I tried that, something went wrong."

"You were with Mordred for some reason. What were his plans?" Arthur repeated. "Did he ever mention Emrys of what he would do, the legends, anything?"

Agravaine changed the conversation. If this was going to be his only visit, he wouldn't waste it. He wanted to find out as much information as he could. Even trapped, with no was of escape, he still plotted. "How's that little friend of yours? I was surprised when she came down to visit me."

"Answer the question." Arthur stayed emotionless.

"I was pretty sure I killed her, seems like she just won't die. Perhaps she really is Emrys. I should have killed her when I had the chance. That night, as she ran into the forest. You think I didn't see her, that I just happened to miss her? I didn't. I saw her watching as I stabbed the Dragonlord. She watched as his body slumped."

"Answer the damn question!" Arthur shouted, losing his temper storming up to the edge of the bars. He didn't want to hear about when Merlyn was forced to watch her family die. It was beyond cruel for anyone.

"Hit a nerve did I?" Agravaine smirked. Arthur didn't respond, just continued to glare through the bars. "Sounds to me like you've misplaced your little sorceress." Agravaine lay back down on the cot, hands behind his head looking smug. "Fine, it's no fun when you don't react." Arthur just continued to glare. "What is it that everyone wants?"

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, reining in his temper.

"Magic and non-magical people. What is it that everyone wants? Power. What they are wanting is to take her power, just like I did only I think that they've found a better way of doing it." Agravaine explained.

"Where would they have taken her?" He asked.

"How would I know? I've been in here for months. But if it's where I think it is, then you will never find it." Agravaine closed his eyes, leaving Arthur to his thoughts.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur stood in the training grounds, in only his pants and a light shirt, beating one of the dummies with a sword. He knew it would be hard talking to the man, but nothing prepared him for the anger that would never leave him when it came to that man. He slammed his sword repeatedly, not letting up. His anger overwhelmed him, his pain almost unbearable.

Morgana watched from her chamber window as Arthur battered the training equipment. She had never seen him like this before. Even in the days after Merlyn had 'died' he had never been like this. She knew it frustrated him knowing that she was out there somewhere.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**What do you think? Review and let me know! x**


	6. Chapter 5: Slaying the Dreamer

_A/N - Thanks for the review!.. Here's the next one.._

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 5: Slaying the Dreamer**

"What exactly is it that Agravaine said?" Gaius asked as they stood in the meadow, the dragon in attendance. It was nightfall, and the dragon had come to bring them news of what he had found.

"He said that they wanted her power, that they must have found another way to take it from her. He also said that if they were where he thought they were then it would be a place that we would never find." Arthur relayed the information on. He had spoken to Gaius about what Agravaine had said, and he'd suggested they talk to the dragon.

"Hmmm.. That is indeed worrying." The dragon spoke for the first time. "I feel that the traitor is telling the truth."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked. "How could she be somewhere that we can't find? No one can get a sense on her magic, so where could she possibly be?"

"I fear that she is not in this realm." The dragon confessed.

"Not in this realm? How can you change realms?" Morgana piped up. She had come along as well, wanting to know what she could do to help.

"It would take a very powerful sorcerer to pull it off and sustain it for long periods of time." The dragon explained. "It takes an enormous amount of magic."

Morgana suddenly remembered what Freya had said back at the lake. "This sorcerer, would they have the power to use dark magic? To use the unicorn's horn to extract Merlyn's magic?" She asked.

"I am afraid so. The initial spell to create another realm takes up much magic, but to maintain it takes very little. To hide it as well as they have done will have taken much power. If this is what they intend to do to Merlyn it will mean that the sorcerer will need time to regain their power." The dragon explained.

"How much time?" Arthur asked. "How much time do we have before they start to extract her magic?"

"It is not that simple." Gaius stated. "If I understand this correctly then they aren't just wanting to extract the magic that she has now, but to extract all of it." He looked to the dragon who nodded in response, telling him that he was correct. "They will be trying to get her to unlock all of her power."

"Unlock all her power? What does that mean?" Arthur asked.

Morgana gasped as she realized. "They're going to torture her. They are going to push her to breaking point until her magic can't be contained before they extract it." The dragon nodded mournfully.

"How do we find her?" Arthur asked, not liking the sound of where this was going. "There has to be some way to track her."

"I am afraid that she is impossible to track, however if you find the sorcerer you can find Merlyn." The dragon told him. "I will keep trying, but as long as she is in the other realm, there is nothing I can do." With two flaps of his wings, he was gone off into the night.

Arthur, Morgana and Gaius remained in the meadow. "What are we going to do?" Morgana asked. "How do we find the sorcerer?"

"There must be some documents that father kept with a list of sorcerers on it." Arthur suggested.

"He did, but I fear that it will not help." Gaius mentioned.

"You know who it is?" Arthur asked, or rather demanded.

"I fear I do. Nimueh. She was one that Uther hunted for many years. She is a high priestess, one of the most powerful ones." Gaius warned them.

"Where can we find her?" Arthur asked.

"You can't. She is a shifter. She can change her form, and no one knows what she really looks like." He informed them. "It's what makes were even more dangerous. She looks different to everyone she sees."

"There has to be a way." Arthur insists.

"I can try and find something, but there is nothing that I know of."

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Opening her eyes, she smiles as she sees the familiar wooden beams above her head. She saw the neighbour's black cat lying on the beam, tail swishing down. She stretched, her toes peaking out of the blankets that were covering her._

_Tilting her head to the side, she could see the little wooden dragon that her father had carved out for her when her mother was pregnant with her. He was dedicated to his daughter before she had even made an appearance in the world. _

_Reaching her hand out, she picked it up, fingering the intricate carving and design on the side of it. Sitting up, she leant back against the wall. She could hear the children outside playing in the good weather. She could hear them laughing as they ran around._

_She couldn't remember the last time that she was this relaxed. Smiling she thought of the first time she had woken up beside Arthur, all warm with his arms wrapped around her. The smile dropped from her face in a second._

_Arthur! She was in Ealdor. She couldn't be. This wasn't real._

_She jumped out of bed when her door burst open, soldiers marching in. They were the same ones from that night. She didn't have time to react as they grabbed her arms, dragging her away from the safety of her childhood bedroom._

"_Get off me!" She yelled, trying her hardest to use her magic. It wasn't working. She tried to shove them off her, but they were too strong. She was dragged to the village square, her wrists tied to a stump that she never remembered to be there. "Let me go!" She screamed._

_A burning pain ripped across her back as she felt the crack of a whip. She screamed as the pain engulfed her body before another stroke was delivered, crossing where the other had landed. Tears rolled down her face as she tried to stay strong. This wasn't happening. It wasn't real._

"It's not real. It's not real." She kept chanting as the tears poured. The pain began to fade as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Gasping for breath, she opened them once again. She was curled on the floor of the cell. She quickly sat up, bringing her knees up, arms wrapping tightly around them. "It's not real. It didn't happen." She kept telling herself. "You're stronger than this. I am not weak." She sobbed into her knees, afraid to fall asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Check those documents over there." Morgana pointed to a pile that was in the cabinets in Uther's old office. It had been such a long time since they have ventured in here, the sadness still too much to bear, but they had to.

"They are just old tax papers." Arthur told her. "Where would he put them?" Arthur wondered aloud. "Wait!" He suddenly remembered something.

"What?" Morgana asked.

"When Merlyn and I went to find Agravaine's documents, he had a hidden safe. Perhaps father did the same." He suggested.

"Where was Agravaine's?" She asked.

"It was under the floorboards." Their eyes rested on the rug that had always been on the floor. "Here, help me roll it up." Arthur said as he went to one edge of it. Together they rolled the carpet, shifting it over to the side of the room. Arthur got onto his knees and began to knock.

"What are you doing?" Morgana asked.

"There will be a different sound if there is a safe under here somewhere." Arthur explained.

"It could just be easier for me to use my magic you know." Arthur glared, before moving out of the way.

Morgana's eyes turned gold as she tried to see through the floorboards to find what would hopefully give them a lead on Merlyn. "There!" She pointed. Arthur took his dagger out and began to pry up the boards. Soon they were kneeling in front of a safe. "Do you know the code?" She asked as they stared at the locked door.

"Try 1223." Arthur suggested. "Our birthdays." They heard the click as the lock opened. "Ready?" He asked. As Morgana nodded, they opened the safe, taking out several documents and journals. Arthur looked through the papers and found what they were looking for. "Here!" He said. "Here's a list of names of suspected sorcerers and where they were before the purge. It might not help, but it's a start." When Morgana didn't reply, he looked over to see her flicking through a book. "What's that?" He asked.

"It's Mum's. It's her journal." The two shared a look.

Arthur put his hand on top of the book, stopping her from turning the page. "We have time to read it later, but now, we have to find a lead." He told her. He was just as interested in their dead mother's journal, but right now, time wasn't on their side. Nodding, she reattached the strong that was holding it together before quickly looking over a few more of the journals, finding one from Uther that mentioned hunting for sorcerers. They placed everything else back into the safe, putting the boards back in place before covering it back up with the rug.

-x-x-x-x-x-

They sat in Arthur's chambers. Arthur had a map out as they pinpointed where Nimueh's last known location was.

"Here is says that they followed her to the White Mountains." Morgana pointed out. Arthur plotted the point out. As they found out, Nimueh used to be a fairly regular visitor in the castle. It seemed as though despite Uther's distaste for magic, he somewhat trusted Nimueh.

"He says that they followed her through the Valley of the Fallen Kings.. Oh.. And they lost her at the Great Sea of Meredor." She sighed. "She could have left and never come back."

"No, it has to be her. You heard Gaius, she's the only one that makes sense." Arthur groaned. "Why would he track and kill every other sorcerer but let her get away?" Arthur wondered aloud. "He could have easily caught up with her."

"I think I know why.." Morgana mentioned distracted reading.

"What is it?" He asked, coming to look over her shoulder to read.

_Nimueh, she was always my weakness. Ygraine is my love, but something draws me towards her. My thoughts are filled with her, with the night we shared. If Ygraine found out, she would be devastated. It would break my family apart, but yet I can't keep away. We agreed to run away together, but then Ygraine became pregnant. I couldn't leave. Perhaps one day it can be, but until then it will always be just a dream._

"Oh my.." Arthur couldn't believe what he was reading. His father, the King, the man who had warned him at every opportunity when growing up about the ways of women, about the dangers of magic and yet he was the one who was running around behind his wife's back with a sorceress.

"He had an affair!" Morgana was shocked.

"That explains why he never caught her." Arthur admitted.

"What?!" Morgana was too shocked to believe what Arthur had just said. "You sound like what he did was right!"

"I never said anything of the sort." Arthur was confused. "Look, all I'm saying is that if that was Merlyn, and it was my duty to capture her and kill her, I would let her go. There is no way I could do that to the woman I love, sorceress or not."

"But he cheated! On Mum!" Morgana was distraught. She couldn't remember their mother, but she had always felt some sort of connection to her. "He's lucky he's not here otherwise I would kill him." She fumed.

Arthur rolled his eyes before reading a bit more. "Right, so we can assume that she is still here somewhere. Can you read and find out where they used to meet or something?" He asked.

"Are you serious? You think I'm going to read about my father having sex?! Or even worse sex with a woman that is not my mother?!" She screeched, throwing the book in his direction. "Oh my god.. What if Nimueh is my mother.. What if I've got magic because Mum wasn't my Mum." Her mind began to race.

"Morgana.. Morgana!" Arthur shouted to get her attention.

"What?! Panicking here." She paced.

"Morgana the Queen was your mother!" Arthur tried to get through to her, secretly amused by her outburst.

"How do you know? You weren't there!"

"Morgana!" He grabbed her shoulders to stop her from moving and making her look at him. "Morgana.." He said softer. "You forget that I was there. I watched as mother carried you for 9 months and I was also outside the door when you were born. Trust me when I say that the Queen was your mother."

"Oh thank god!" She fell into Arthur's arms as he just rolled his eyes. "Come on, what you slacking for?" Morgana said as she pushed him away moments later, picking up the book again. "Don't you want to find Merlyn?"

Shaking his head, he went back over to the map, and the list of other sorcerer's to try and find some sort of pattern.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"It seems to be working nicely." Morgause smirked as she stared into the pool of water that showed them the other realm. Merlyn was curled up, trying to comfort herself as she was convincing herself that it wasn't real. "How long will it take?" She asked.

An older woman, with dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes watched closely to the water. "She is strong. She is resisting." Nimueh stated. "But eventually, she will break. Even the strongest of people have a weakness."

"Arthur.." Morgause started. ".. He's continuing to send his men after us. It won't be long until he finds us. He won't give up."

"Then give him what he wants." She smirked. A smile came to Morgause's face before she nodded, walking away.

She continued to walk until she came to a couple of cells. She heard a whimper and looked inside, seeing a young girl cowering away from the door. "You'll do." She smirked, her eyes turning gold as the door swung open.

"No, please!" The girl begged, but it was in vain as she slumped to the floor dead, with her throat cut. Morgause's eyes turned gold once more, and the girl's hair turned from with natural blonde colour until it was the perfect shade of brunette. Staring back at her with wide eyes was Merlyn. Dead.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please Review! x**


	7. Chapter 6: Dead to the World

**Chapter 6: Dead to the World**

It'd been a month from she was taken. Arthur's knights still went searching, but always came back with nothing. They had started to focus on the areas that Uther had mentioned in his journals; about where Nimueh might be. Arthur would ride out with them some days, but his people needed him, and as much as it pained him, he knew it was right.

It was then that the inevitable happened. They sat in another council meeting, speaking about the tax's on the people living inside the city walls when some of his knights entered the room. Their expressions solemn and full of grief, which made his heart stop. Until he had conclusive evidence then he wouldn't believe anything.

He glanced over to his sister who just shook her head, telling him everything that he needed to know. She hadn't felt a change, so whatever news that the knights had brought with them wasn't about Merlyn's demise. The two of them excused themselves as did Leon to follow the knights into the courtyard. They stepped into the courtyard and saw a body on the back of a cart. People who were around looked down in sadness as Arthur approached. Nothing on his face gave away his feelings.

"I'm sorry, sire. We found her on the side of the road, just outside of the Darkling woods." The lead knight explained. Arthur stepped closer and his heart skipped a beat. The knights stepped away to give them some privacy. It was her, Merlyn. He didn't let his emotions take over otherwise he wouldn't be able to function. Even if he didn't believe it, seeing her pulled at his heartstrings.

"Bring her inside." He ordered, looking over at Morgana, she understood what he was trying to do. If this wasn't Merlyn, like he had the feeling that it wasn't, then someone wanted them to think that she was dead. The siblings followed the Knights carrying her body into a private room. Leon had made sure to send the Knights some new orders before he joined them in the room. The council were all still gathered in the great hall awaiting further instructions. With a nod of the head, Arthur dismissed his men, leaving him and Morgana alone.

She stepped forward and closed her eyes. He waited with baited breath for her to finish. "It's not her." Morgana assured her when she opened them once more.

"Are you sure?" He asked, breathing a sigh of relief but he needed to be certain.

"There's no trace of magic at all, other than the enchantment that has been place on her." Arthur watched as Morgana reversed the spell and a young blonde girl was revealed to them. He felt bad when he was relieved that it was some other girl who was dead. He would try to find out who this girl was and what happened to her.

"Someone wanted us to think that she was dead." Arthur concluded. "That means we are getting too close."

"Arthur, that was a warning. They know we are looking for her and they probably know that we would figure out that this isn't the real Merlyn. They want you to stop." She explained, trying to get him to understand the unwritten message that came with the death of this young girl.

"What do you want me to do? Stop? Give up? Let them take her magic and then kill her. Next time, that could really be her, Morg." Arthur argued. "I could no easier give up on her as I could give up on you."

"I'm not saying give up, but perhaps we lay off for a while. She's strong Arthur, and we've got the druids and the dragon looking for her. Perhaps we pull back the Knights. Let them believe that we were tricked with the body."

"She's right, Arthur." Leon spoke up. He had come it just after Morgana had completed her check. He was still getting used to the idea of Morgana having magic, but he was willing to accept it. "Every thing we find ends up being nothing or makes us go around in circles. This was a warning of what they are willing to do if we don't stop."

Arthur was silent for a while thinking. Could he really live with himself if he wasn't doing anything to save her? Could he give up? He roared in frustration. He had no control over what was happening and he hated himself for it. He was still angry at himself for letting this happen in the first place, no matter how unreasonable it was.

"We're not giving up." Morgana seemed to know what he was thinking. "We are jus taking a backseat for a while. The druids are much better at searching for her anyway because they can pick up on magic while the knights can't. Most of the knights don't even know that they are looking for magic. They can still keep a look out on patrols, but take a less active role."

"Fine." Arthur turned and headed to his chambers. He couldn't deal with the rest of the council meeting, so he left Morgana and Leon to take care of it.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_She lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling in her room in Camelot. She could hear sounds from the courtyard as people began to move for the day. It was her day off, finally getting time to herself to just rest and relax. She hadn't had a day off since she arrived in Camelot so she was going to make the most of it. A soft knock came on her door moments before Arthur stepped into the room._

"_Hey." He smiled at her, coming to sit beside her and running his hand over her head until it rested on her cheek. She turned her head and kissed his palm as he smiled down at her._

"_Morning." She smiled at him, a spark in her eyes. She sat up, running her own hand through his hair before leaning in to kiss him. He responded, but it wasn't like normal. He was holding back. "What's wrong?" She asked, pulling back to look at him. He didn't say anything, but something was off. Searching for some sort of sign, she gazed into his eyes. But then it hit her. "No, please no. Not you." Her breathing began to grow rapid. He just stared back at her before he disappeared. She watched as he vanished before her eyes._

_The doors slammed open followed by several of the Knights of Camelot. Two grabbed her arms before dragging her from the room. "No! Let go of me!" She spotted Percy and Gwaine stood in the corner of Gaius' chambers watching as Gaius stood out of the way. "Help me!" She screamed at them, but no one moved. "Please!" She begged. No one would save her._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur paced the halls until he found himself at Gaius' quarters. He knocked before entering. Seeing Gaius was alone, he sat at the table and put his head in his hands.

"I heard about this morning." Gaius spoke.

"I don't know what to do." Arthur confessed. "Normally I would talk to Merlyn and she would knock some sense into me or point me in the right direction."

"She has a tendency to do that." Gaius laughed. They sat in silence for a while. Gaius knew the King needed time to think about all his options. There was a lot or pressure on the new King. Within his first couple of months of being King, he'd had to defend an attack and rebuild while trying to deal with his father's death and take on the responsibilities of being King. He'd done a great job of it, but he'd always had Merlyn by is side to help him. Now he was alone, without the one person who always told him to do what he thought was right.

"I don't think I can do this without her." Arthur admitted. In that moment he looked like a lost boy. He had watched as Arthur grew from the babe he delivered into this world into the King he now was, but he had never seen him look so lost; not when his mother died and his father pulled away from him, or even when his father was killed. He had always seemed to take things in his stride, making the best out of a bad situation and making himself a better man because of it.

"I have known you since birth, Arthur." He stood beside the chair the King was slouched into. Putting his hand on the younger man's shoulder, making him look up at him. "Merlyn is like a daughter to me, and I know how you feel about her just like I know how she feels about you." Gaius paused for a moment, trying to decide the best way to say what he was thinking. "Merlyn wouldn't want anyone to get hurt because of her. She's never been one to need saving, but if she knew someone had gotten hurt, especially you and those she loved, in the name of saving her she would never forgive herself. Perhaps we should pull back a little, stick with finding solid leads rather than chasing down every single one and even the nonexistent ones. The dragon is out looking and as soon as he can get a read on her, or even on Nimueh, he will tell us. Until then, there is nothing we can do."

Arthur nodded his head, taking in the words of the man he looked up to. "I don't know what I'd do without her Gaius." He admitted. "After everything that has happened since she arrived, I thought we were finally in a good place. But then this had to happen."

"Merlyn is strong, sire. She won't go down without a fight. If I know her, which I like to think I do, she will be fighting tooth and nail to get away from them. She's never been a damsel in distress and she isn't about to begin now." It was the first time in a long while that a smile graced Arthur's face, just at the thought of her reaction at being called a damsel in distress. He would get a swift punch to the arm if he ever said those words to her face.

"Thank you, Gaius." He was truly appreciative of the older mans words. Gaius nodded as Arthur stood to leave his chambers. "I have a council to sort out." He sighed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Sobbing, she clung to her knees as the cold hit her body. Her body hurt from the beating she has received from her fellow assassins. They had been fighting, and every time she defeated one, another came. It was relentless._

_She felt a warm heat overcome her body. Her wounds healed, relaxing her muscles, but she knew that wouldn't last long, it was just the beginning. The door to her cell flung open, and she was dragged out. By now, she had stopped trying to struggle; it would do her no good, only sapping her energy. She walked silently, following as she was taken to the courtyard. _

_There she stood, in the center, with assassins and knights a like surrounding her. She didn't know where she was, the place was irrelevant, it still hurt just the same. The only person that was absent was Arthur. She knew what was happening, and she knew why, but she wouldn't give up. She would not let them break her._

_Gwaine stepped forwards, swords outstretched. She held her weapons in defense before he advanced on her. Nothing from the real world was relevant anymore. Their weaknesses were nonexistent, their energy never ending. She fought bravely against each and everyone one of them, but she would ultimately fail. Every single time she would fail. She would be cut and stabbed until she couldn't take it anymore. She would collapse to her knees and warmth would encase her body starting the cycle all over again._

Moments later, she would open her eyes and be back in her cell, back in the real world and she would sob. They wanted to break her, but she wouldn't. She wouldn't let them have what they wanted. She didn't know how long she had been here, she didn't know anything. She had forgotten the ability to feel the chill of the air or to count the passing sunrises. She would sob, trying to regain some of the strength before it would begin over and over again.

The visions changed. One day it would begin with her waking up in her chambers in Camelot before the Knights barged in and dragged her away to be tortured in the dungeons, other times she would be dragged from her childhood room in Ealdor and into the center of the village to be beaten. Other times it was like today. She would be dragged out of the cell she was currently in and be dragged to a courtyard to fight for her life.

The visions of Camelot were the ones that hurt her the most. They were her friends, and none of them would listen to her. She knew that it wasn't them, but the pain struck hard. Her only saving grace was that Arthur had only appeared the first time she had been in Camelot and he'd done nothing to hurt her. He had made her feel safe and warm, like it was her brain's way of telling her that she had to survive and stay strong for him.

Deep down she knew that if he were to appear again she would break. He was her limit.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Again!" Arthur barked the orders as he stood watch over the knights training. Since he had halted the hunt for Merlyn a month ago, he had been harsher than usual. Everyone believed that she was dead when the other woman's body was brought in, and they had decided that it would be best to let the people think that. It hadn't been confirmed, but it had neither been denied.

Arthur had taken to training his men harder than usual. He spent as much time as he could training them, and when that was over, he would train by himself. He couldn't let himself have a moment to himself otherwise he would begin to doubt himself again. He hated making the decision to stop actively looking for her, but he knew that it was the right decision. If they continued blindly then the next time it could really be Merlyn lying there.

The dragon hadn't returned yet, and there was no word from the druids. He just had to wait and hope that he was putting his trust in the right people. He needed to bring her home, and he would do anything to make it happen.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_She gasped, as the arm tightened around her and a hand covered her mouth. "Not got your Prince to come to your rescue now." The voice whispered in her ear. Anger boiled up inside her as she recognized the voice. Sir Cador. She hadn't seen him since the night of Arthur's birthday when he had been stripped of his Knighthood. Dread filled her as she remembered this exact thing happening before. She bit his hand, and he quickly let go of her, and she spun around to face him._

"_Didn't you get the hint last time when I broke your wrist?" She heard herself saying, as Sir Cador looked up at her. She spat at the ground, trying to get rid of the taste of him. He took a step towards her, but she took a step back. He lunged at her and she evaded him, but found herself trapped by a hedge._

"_No where to run this time." He sneered at her, stepping closer so that he was only inches from her. "You know this dress looks really good on you, but even better off you." She stomped down on his foot with her heel and as he wailed in pain, she felt for her daggers in her boots. Her heart stopped when he daggers were nowhere to be found. She never went anywhere without them. In her state of panic, it had allowed Cador to recover and advance on her once more. He grabbed her wrists and slammed them until she was pinned against the tree._

"_Hey!" Cador spun in fear, letting go of her as Arthur's angry voice filled the air. "What do you think you are doing?" He demanded to know._

"_Sire, I.." Cador looked scared as the Arthur stepped forward. Her heart continued beating fast. Cador stepped towards his Prince before stopping in front of him. Merlyn could only watch as she saw a glint of metal before a blade was plunged into the Prince's heart._

"_NOOO!" She screamed and everything went black._

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Finally." Morgause looked over to the smirking sorceress.


	8. Chapter 7: Angels Fall First

_A/N - Sorry about the lateness.. This is the last chapter that I have pre-written so hopefully you will get another update next week but I apologise in advance if that doesn't happen.. Hopefully things settle down soon as my dissertation is nearly completed and should give me a bit of free time to be able to write.. I can't wait to write the rest of this, especially the second half of this story as discoveries are made that will have a huge impact on some of the characters as well as a couple of new characters being introduced.. Sorry that the last few chapters hadn't been as well written as I would have liked but I will hopefully go back to edit them.. Thanks for sticking with me!.._

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 7: Angels Fall First**

Magic burst from her body, dispelling the vision of Arthur falling to the ground as the dagger was buried deep within him. She breathed heavily as her eyes turned red, glowing in the darkness of the prison that had held her captive for the past few months. Her emotions twisted and combined into one. Anger. The door of her cell opened and her eyes flicked over to it. Fury engulfed her as rage took over all of her senses. She roared as magic sprung from her towards the intruders. A barrier raised just in time to only just about countered it. The power was greater than they could have imagined.

"Quicky! We don't have much time." Morgause shouted as she and Mordred combined their powers to keep Merlyn's at bay for a short amount of time. "Put the shackles on her." She ordered.

Two guards quickly approached her as she scrambled to her feet. She tried to fight them off, but soon her arms were chained to the brick wall behind her. She could feel her power flowing through her, breaking free of the enchantment that Morgause and Mordred had originally put on her. But that power turned into pain in the moment that the neck collar was connected to her skin.

She screamed in pain as the metal burnt her skin. She could feel the power draining itself from her and into the collar. She roared in pain, but nothing happened. The guards retreated from the room quickly as Morgause and Mordred looked down upon the greatest sorceress to walk the earth.

"It finally worked." Morgause smirked as she looked at the woman in pain, struggling against her chains. She tugged her arms, trying to break them from the bricks of the wall. She tried to claw herself away from the pain of the chains, but it was no use. "Soon, that chain will drain every ounce of magic out of her body and we will have all her power." Mordred looked down at her, almost in pity. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that she was going through, but for the rewards that were just around the corner he would do anything. He almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

With one last look, they left the room, leaving Merlyn struggling, screaming in pain. The door slammed shut behind them, quieting her screams from their ears.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"There have been reports of some of Odin's men are patrolling close to our borders." One of the Knights reported in the council meeting. The knights had returned from a regular patrol towards Odin's kingdom, bringing back rumors from villages close by.

"Have them crossed our borders?" Arthur asked, taking notes of things that he needed to see to. Things hadn't been easy with Odin ever since the incident involving his son, but they had some sort of agreement that was made when Uther was still alive. Arthur just hoped that Odin upheld the agreement.

"No Sire, not as far as we are aware." The knight confirmed. "Should we double the patrols?" He asked.

"Do nothing for now. For all we know, putting double the knights there would be enticing him to make a move. If Odin decided to attack we would know about it." Arthur explained. "Just keep an eye on the situation and if it should develop then report back."

"Yes sire." The knight sat back down as another man stood.

"The village of Talor are short on their taxes again Sire." One of the councilmen spoke. "We have sent several patrols there to see what the hold up is, but each time they come back empty handed."

Arthur's attention was taken away when Morgana stood from her seat abruptly. "Morgana? Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I think I just need some air." Her heart was beating rapidly, and her breathing became rigid. She took a step away from the table when her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Morgana!" Arthur jumped from his seat as she collapsed, rushing to her side. "Morgana!" He tapped the side of her face as her head rested in his lap, when he caught her moments before she hit the floor. Leon was over to their side in a heartbeat. "Get Gaius!" Arthur ordered one of the men in the room, before turning his attention back to his sister. "Come on Morgana." He brushed his fingers through her hair, willing her to come back.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur paced inside of Morgana's chambers as Leon was sat in a chair as they waited for Gaius to conclude his assessment. When the man made his way back over to them, his face looked grave. He had done a thorough examination in order to determine the cause of Morgana's situation.

"Is there anything else you can remember that could have happened to her? Has she been feeling unwell?" He asked.

"Not that I am aware of. She was fine up until that moment." Leon confirmed. "Gaius, what is wrong with her?"

"Nothing, as far as I can tell." He concluded. "There are no rashes, no bites and nothing to suggest that she has been poisoned. She doesn't have a fever, her heart rate was a little erratic but is normal once more. She is in perfect health."

"What? How is that possible?" Arthur asked. He watched as Gwen slipped back into the room to attend to the Princess. She was just as worried as the rest of them and knew nothing of what could have caused this. If anyone would know if there was something wrong with her it would be her maid servant.

"I have a theory that I would like to test, but I am not sure that you will like it." Gaius walked over to one of the candles that was placed on Morgana's table. Arthur and Leon watched closely as he concentrated hard, whispering a few words. Nothing happened. He tried it again, but again nothing happened. "This is what I was afraid of." He muttered.

"Gaius?" Arthur asked.

"It's her magic." He turned back to them both.

"Her magic?" Leon asked. When he had discovered Morgana's magic during the battle, he was wary to begin with, but over the weeks after he had realized that she was still the same girl he had grown up with, and it didn't chance his feelings for her, even if he hadn't quite told her yet.

"I fear that it has happened." Gaius looked Arthur in the eye as he said it. Breath escaped Arthur, forcing him to sit down. "Emrys' powers are strong, and they are connected to dragons as well as anyone she has created a bond with. Just like during the battle, when Merlyn had been stabbed, Morgana felt it, as did the dragon. I have not practiced magic in many years, so it didn't affect me as my magic is taught rather than been born with it."

"What does this mean? Is she dead?" Arthur asked, worried about the answer.

"I do not know." Gaius regretfully told him. "But if I had to guess, I would say that they have unlocked her true powers and they are draining them from her as we speak."

"How long does she have?" Leon asked, realizing that something needed to be done. It didn't matter how many times they had come back with no leads, they had to find one and quick if they wanted to get to Merlyn while she was still alive.

A loud roar echoed from outside. Arthur was straight to his feet and bolted from the room. He arrived in the courtyard just in time to see the dragon crash into one of the towers, knocking a couple of bricks off that fell into the courtyard. People scattered in fear of the creature that not so long ago had attacked them. It then landed hard in the center of the courtyard, collapsing to the ground. Knights and guards had their swords and spears out, pointing at it ready to attack.

"Stand down!" Arthur ordered, making his way to the dragon. The guards looked at each other wearily but followed orders. "Kilgarrah. What's happened?" He asked in a panic.

"It's begun." The dragon confirmed. "They are draining her powers, and in turn, mine as well."

"Where are they? What can I do?" He asked.

"Go to the Lake of Avalon.. Alone." He spoke, before putting all his effort into taking off. They could only watch as the dragon struggled in the air, dropping a few yards before gaining enough strength to continue on.

"Ready my horse!" Arthur ordered, rushing back inside to collect his weapons and armor.

Moments later, he returned with Leon in tow. "Arthur, are you sure this is a good idea going alone?" His second asked.

"Leon, I have to do this." He said as he attached a saddlebag. "Look after Morgana."

"I will. I will make sure the Knights are prepared to ride out at a moments notice." Leon promised before Arthur mounted the horse. "Be careful."

Arthur nodded once before kicking the horse into action, fleeing from the courtyard full of eyes watching as their King left, alone.

-x-x-x-x-x-

His mind was numb as he rode hard through the forest, pushing the horse as far as it could go. He couldn't even think of what he was putting the horse through by pushing it so hard, but every second he wasted would be one second closer to not finding Merlyn alive. He had no doubts that whatever they were doing to her was killing her. If by some twist of fate it didn't, and it just left her without her magic he knew they would never let her live.

With the lake in view, he slowed. As soon as he pulled the horse to a stop, he jumped from it, making his way over to the water's edge. He didn't know what to expect when he got here, but nothing wasn't one of the things. "Hello?" He called out. "Is anyone there? I need your help! The dragon told me to come."

The stillness of the water caught his eyes. A ripple was created, followed by several more of them. He took a step back as the calm water rose. Stepping out of it was a woman; her white clothes making her look angelic. She came to a halt at the edge of the water, looking at him. A memory of Merlyn telling him about a woman in the caves she travelled to crossed his mind as he brushed away any fear he felt.

"Arthur." She smiled softly. "It has been many years that I have wanted to meet you."

"The dragon told me to come here." He quickly explained, not caring how rude he sounded. There were more important things than that at the moment.

"Yes. You search for Emyrs." She told him. "But you will not find her here."

"Can you help me? I need to know where she is." Arthur asked. In her hand appeared a pendant. She held it out to him by the chain, offering it to him. "What is this?" He asked, taking it from her. Letting the pendent rest in the center of his palm, he felt magic around it.

"It will lead you to the doorway." She told him. "Place that in the image, and the connection between realms will be broken."

"This will show me the way to Nimueh?" She nodded. Arthur stared at the device and watched as the pendant turned in his hand, pointing north. "Thank you."

"Step into the water." She commanded him. He looked wary for a moment but decided to trust her. If she was going to help him find Merlyn then he would do anything.

She closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them, they were glowing silver. He looked down and saw water rising, wrapping itself around his legs, venturing upwards. "What are you doing to me?" He asked. He could see the water, but it didn't feel wet but rather warm. The water covered his entire body before glowing a little and then vanishing.

"You have the power of Excalibur, once and future King. Use it wisely." She warned him, stepping backwards as she went.

"Wait! What does that mean?!" He shouted after her, but she just continued to recede into the lake. He watched the waters still for a moment before stepping out of it. Taking the pendant, he put the chain around his neck.

He started the hard ride back to Camelot. As much as he wanted to go and find Merlyn alone, he knew better than to just go in and walk out again. He had to be smart about this.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"It's leading us towards the Forest of Balor." Leon spoke as they took a break. He had taken out a map, trying to predetermine where the pendant was leading them.

"There are many caves in the forest. It would be a perfect place for a sorceress to hide without being exposed." Arthur commented as he watched the necklace in his hand. "Pack up!" He ordered.

"Arthur, that many caves could take days to search." Leon responded.

"We have to try."

They travelled for hours, keeping a quick pace. The sooner they got there, the sooner he would get Merlyn back. He dreaded to think about the lengths that Morgause and Mordred must have gone to to make Merlyn break. He just hoped that she wasn't broken beyond repair, or he would never forgive himself. He would do anything it took to put her back together.

They arrived at a cave deep in the forest, and the necklace dropped. They were here. Arthur signaled for his men to be silent as they all quietly dismounted their horses. He motioned orders to them with hand gestured as he took the lead.

Arthur went first, creeping in. Torches lined the cave walls signaling that they had the right place. He saw a pool of water and several trinkets lying around the place. It was here, the doorway that held Merlyn in another realm. He saw movement, and that's when he saw her. In a small bowl of water, he could see her reflection.

"Merlyn.." He let out a breath. He could see her slumped against a wall, with chains around her wrists and her neck. His eyes widened in horror of the condition she was in and took a step forward towards the pool of water.

A laugh made him look away from the image and spin on his heel. "It was only a matter of time before you found me." He looked up to see a woman stepping towards them. He heard the men behind him shuffle, preparing themselves for an attack. "Well, at least now you can have a front row seat."

"Nimueh." Arthur muttered.

"So you're not as oblivious as you seem. Tell me, how long did it take for you to figure out who was behind this?" She asked. "Did Gaius finally figure it out? Or was it your father that told you about our little thing all those years ago?"

"We've known for a while." Arthur humored her, glancing back into the water. "And whatever relationship you had with my father is of no concern to me."

"What is your concern? Your flavor of the week?" She mocked him, looking into the pool of water as she smirked at the image before her. "No need, she will be joining you soon.. in death."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." He raised his sword, eyes hardened with determination.

Raising her hands with a laugh, she through a forced towards them. Metal clattered against the rocks, as swords fell from their hands and their armour covered bodies crashed into the walls behind them.

The smirk disappeared from her face when there was one that was still stood, sword raised as if nothing had happened. Panic flooded through her when he was still stood before her. Arthur turned to see all of his men down behind him, but nothing had happened to him. "It can't be.." She gasped in surprise. She tried it again, but again the magic had no affect on him.

Taking her moment of surprise, ignoring his own. He grabbed the pendant, breaking the chain from his neck and dropped it into the pool of water. "No!" She screamed. The bowl cracked in two, and the water ran free. He heard Nimueh scream once more before she conjured a whirlwind, and disappeared from the cave.

"Merlyn!" He shouted into the deep caves.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review x**


	9. Chapter 8: Swanheart

_A/N - Hey guys, sorry for the delay. This isn't my best chapter as it was a little rushed, but here we go. Enjoy x_

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**Chapter 8: Swanheart**

"Merlyn!" Arthur kept his sword drawn as he stepped further into the cave. The connection between realms was broken. "Merlyn!"

A groan from behind him made him remember his men. He turned to see Leon standing up, and stretching his back from where it had bumped against the wall. "Arthur?"

"Everyone alright?" Arthur asked, doing a quick check over his men. They got to their feet, rubbing their arms and legs as the knock they received would no doubt leave them bruised. They all gave confirmation that there was nothing too serious before they waited for instructions from their King. "Spread out. I want every inch of this cave searched. But be careful, Morgause and Mordred might be here."

The men ventured further into the caves, taking torches with them. Arthur and Leon stayed in the main chamber, searching through the few items that were scattered around the place. A few books were piled up and a few other trinkets but nothing to signify that Merlyn was ever here.

"Arthur… She's not here." Leon told him. "Nimueh wouldn't have just left if she was."

"I know. But there has to be something here that will lead us to her." Arthur stepped towards the broken pool of water. The necklace had shattered the bowl, breaking the spell that held Merlyn in another realm. He picked up the necklace, hoping that it would being to point again, but to his dismay it didn't. Nevertheless, he pocketed the item, hoping that it would come in useful at some point.

"Sire, there's nothing back there, just an empty cavern." One of the knights came back and told him. The other's came back with the same report. Merlyn wasn't here.

He stood for a moment, trying to think of a plan. He had no idea where to start looking and he knew his time was running out. He didn't have time to ride back to the Lake. A sudden roar from outside startled him, but it also gave him hope.

Rushing outside, he watched as Kilgarrah almost collapsed outside the cave. "I've found her. But we must hurry, she doesn't have much time left." Without saying anything more, the dragon motioned to his back and Arthur mounted him without hesitation.

"Arthur!" Leon called after him.

"Collect everything you can and take it to Gaius. There may be something in there that will help Morgana. Go back to Camelot. I'll bring Merlyn home." Arthur ordered. Leon nodded and they all watched as the dragon warily took off.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Landing, not as gracefully as usual, Arthur slipped from the dragon's back. In front of him stood a tower, made out of black stone. Fog surrounded the base of it as the howling winds blew. The forest surrounding them was filled with dead trees and crows sitting on the branches, watching and waiting.

"She is inside, in the room at the top." The dragon explained. "You don't have much time. You need to break the chains that bind her, but be careful, her power could be uncontrollable."

"Are they all inside?" Arthur asked, reffering to Nimueh, Morgause and Mordred.

"Indeed." Arthur turned and stepped towards the tower before the dragon stopped him. "Wait." Looking back at the dragon, Arthur waited. "Hold out your sword." Looking questioningly, he did as he was told. There was a time when he hated the dragon after he had attacked Camelot, but since then he had proved his loyalty.

He flinched as Kilgarrah let out a breath of fire, encasing the sword but he didn't move away. The blade glowed, changing form slightly. Arthur looked in wonder as his usual plain sword turned into something more grand, with a handle which looked as if there were flames in the metal handle. It was the finest sword he had ever seen. It was almost like the ones from legends.

"You hold the sword of Excalibur. Now go, she needs you." Without waiting for a response, the dragon batted his wings and rose into the sky.

Arthur turned back to the tower. Dred filled him. She was so close, but she wouldn't be the same. Months of torture would have undoubtedly changed her, but he never left one of his men behind, even if that man was a woman.

One step after another, he headed towards the bottom of the tower. The fog was up to his knees as he ventured further, closer to the place of torture. This was going to end.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Mordred and Morgause sat in the room below the cell where Merlyn was being held. Morgause sipped a goblet filled with wine as they listened to the whimpers from the woman upstairs. Mordred stood and began pacing. As much as he disliked Merlyn, he had always had a bit of a soft spot for her, even when he was tormenting her when they were training with Helios.

"Stop letting your emotions get to you. She is the enemy." Morgause told him, knowing what was going through his head.

"I know exactly who she is." Mordred snapped. "But she is still one of us."

When he had seen her in dancing with Arthur on the day of his coronation, his heart broke. He knew that there wasn't a chance between them as she hated him, but for some reason he had always held out hope. He hated Arthur. He had something that he desired, but it was more than that. He was the son of Uther, the man who had purged the land of people of his kind. He didn't understand how Merlyn could just stand back and help the son of the man who killed so many.

He had his doubts about what they were doing, but it was too late now. It was happening and there was nothing that he was willing to do to stop it. If she wasn't with them, she was against them and this was the price that she had to pay.

A gust of wind filled the room, and in it's wake stood Nimueh. She looked angry, furious even. "We have to finished this now." She said, heading to the staircase.

"It will kill her and we won't get all her magic." Morgause stood from her seat. "What's going on?" They had never seen Nimueh like this before. She was the more powerful sorceress that he had met, and she was the only one that could pull off this spell, so seeing her like this was unnerving.

"The portal has been broken. They found me and Arthur had an enchanted pendant that broke the link. He will be on his way here right now, if he isn't already. We either do this now or not at all." She argued, and began to ascend the stairs.

Rushing after her, Mordred and Morgause took in the sight of the girl. Entering the room, the three saw Merlyn curled as much as she could against the wall. "Are you ready?" Nimueh asked both of them as they stood around her. Both nodded, and began chanting.

Merlyn's screams increased as she began panting from the pain. "Stop!" She screamed. Tears rolled down her face leaving stains behind as they went. The pain was unbearable, but her body wouldn't let her go unconscious. They were ripping out her very soul.

"Merlyn!" A faint yell echoed through the tower.

"Damn it. He's here. Mordred, you go and hold him off." He nodded, heading to the door. "Be careful, direct magic has no effect on him."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur heard her screams as he entered the tower. "Merlyn!" He yelled. He rushed further into the room and found the stairs, Excalibur in his hand. He entered the second floor, but was stopped by a menacing laugh.

"So we meet again." Mordred stepped into the room, smirk on his face.

"Where is she?" Arthur growled. Another scream echoed through the tower. "What are you doing to her?" His blood was boiling.

"You know exactly what we are doing. But don't worry, it will all be over soon enough." Mordred raised his blades, remembering Nimueh's warning.

"Get out of my way." Arthur demanded.

Mordred just smirked, holding his ground. Raising Excalibur, Arthur attacked. The force behind his swings surprised Mordred. Last time they fought, he was not as strong as he was now. He had been training everyday relentlessly since Merlyn had been taken.

"You can't stop it. It's too late." Mordred tried to convince him. "She's not the Merlyn you knew."

"Get out of the way." Arthur once again demanded as he swung for his neck.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana started tossing and turning as she was still unconscious in her bed. Gwen rushed over to the bed, trying to calm her down.

"Morgana! It's okay, you're safe." She tried to tell her. "Gaius, what is happening?" She asked the older man as he stood watching.

"I fear that it may be too late." He responded quietly. "I fear they are quickening the process and if Arthur doesn't hurry then she will be lost to us."

Both turned back and looked to the Princess in worry for both her and Merlyn.

-x-x-x-x-x-

A flick of Mordred's wrist and old pieces of armor that was lying around the room started to shake. The smirk on his face grew as the amour came together to create metal men, with swords at the ready.

One advanced on Arthur, sword swinging. He blocked the sword, and hit the armor, leaving a dent in the metal. Mordred stood back and watched. It should take up enough time that their task will have been completed. Another swing from Arthur and his smirk dropped. The armor shattered into pieces as another one of the armor statues advanced. Two swings later it too clattered onto the floor. With one suit remaining, a gust of wind took Mordred away. The sorcerer wasn't stupid, he knew when to bail. The third dropped, leaving the room vacant.

Arthur rushed forward, taking the stairs two at a time. Merlyn's screams echoed as the sound bounced from the walls. He pushed himself forward, fearing he could be too late.

He came to the top of the stairs and saw that he was in a room with a few chairs and a table in the middle. Across the way he saw another set of stairs. Another scream sounded, telling him that she was close. "Merlyn!"

Morgause cursed as Arthur's voice floated from just below. "There's no time." She hissed. Nimueh ignored her plea and continued to chant.

"Arthur.." Merlyn whimpered, falling in and out of consciousness.

"Merlyn!" His voice was just outside the cell door. Moments later he crashed into the room.

Nimueh gasps and spins to the door. Morgause took a look at Nimueh before a gust of wind took her away. "Cowards!" Nimueh screamed into the breeze.

"Get away from her." Arthur growled, quickly glancing down at Merlyn, who was whimpering in her chains.

"You can not defeat me, Arthur Pendragon." Nimueh stood straight, standing tall.

Excalibur was securely in its sheath. His hand went to his belt as if to get the sword out. "Yeah? Who says?" A second later four knives were flung in the witches direction. Merlyn had once told him about a trick. Throw several knives at once and one will stick. The panic of trying to avoid so many usually distracted them enough to be hit with another.

A scream filled the air as a dagger hit its mark. Nimueh fell to the floor as a blade sunk into her abdomen. Arthur did not bother to see how bad the wound was, but dashed over to Merlyn.

"Merlyn.." He spoke softly, his hand going to her cheek, trying to lift her face to look at him. "Merlyn.." Her breathing was light, and tears continued to pour from her eyes. Taking a moment, he looked at the chains that surrounded her. The one secured around her neck didn't allow for her head to drop that much, and her wrists were raised. Taking Excalibur, he hit the chain on the wall several times, managing to get her wrists free. The chain around her neck was different. It took more hits, but eventually broke free. Merlyn slumped forward, only to be caught quickly by Arthur.

"Merlyn." He brushed the matted hair out of her face, gently rubbing her cheek, trying to get her to come to. "Come on Merlyn, no time to be sleeping on the job." He joked, trying to stop his own tears that had threatened since the moment he saw her.

The pain was beginning to subside. His voice was breaking through the barriers. "Merlyn.. Come on Merlyn. Come back to me."

"Arthur.." Her voice was weak.

"I'm here. Shhh, you're going to be fine." He told her, tears dropping onto her face as he stroked her hair. She was at peace at last. His voice soothed her pain. His voice is what her humanity held on to, not falling into despair.

A shuffle from the other side of the room came to her attention. Something inside her sparked. It wasn't pain, it was pure rage. Her eyes sprung open, shining red as her face changed from pain to anger. She all but shoved Arthur off her as she sat up, staring at the woman who was trying to get to her feet.

A roar echoed from her, and an almighty blast expelled itself form her body. Arthur could only watch as Nimueh almost disintegrated before his eyes. He felt the power go through him, and it knocked the breath out of his lungs. He look wide eyed at the glowing red eyes of Merlyn before she collapsed back into him.

The ground floor beneath him began to shake. A loud roar from outside startled him moments before the dragon's foot burst through the roof. He was sat on top of the tower. "Get on." He ordered.

Arthur gathered a light Merlyn in his arms, and climbed onto the dragon's back, keeping Merlyn close to him. As the dragon launched himself into the air, the black tower started to crumble. Arthur could only watch as the place that Merlyn had been held hostage all these months was left nothing more that a pile of rubble.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review x**


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